Bhubaneswar, Nov. 2: Chief minister Naveen Patnaik today made it clear that his party will continue to highlight the Mahanadi river dispute to swing the public opinion in its favour ahead of the panchayat election scheduled to be held early next year.
Taking part in the concluding ceremony of the one-month-long Jana Samparka Padayatra programme at Jaraka bazar under Dharmasala constituency in Jajpur district, Naveen said: "No one can deprive the people of the state from its right over the Mahanadi water. My government will continue to fight for the interest of the people of the Odisha."
The BJD had launched the foot march on October 2, the Gandhi Jayanti to sensitise people about various welfare initiatives in the state. Every year, the party organises the foot march for 10 days from Gandhi Jayanti to Jayaprakash Narayan Jayanti (October 11). But keeping the panchayat elections in mind, the BJD this time extended the foot march for a month and asked all its MLAs and ministers to organise it in their constituencies.
Stating that the Mahanadi was the lifeline of Odisha, Naveen reminded the Opposition that their effort to oppose him would boomerang. "My government is running with the blessings and support of the 4.5 crore people of Odisha, and it will continue in future," he said, adding that the Mahanadi was like a mother to the people of Odisha and any effort to deprive people of its water would not be tolerated.
Though Naveen continues to raise the Mahanadi issue consistently, the government is still in a dilemma about its future course of action on the issue. It is yet to make up its mind on whether it would move the court to stop the Chhattisgarh government from undertaking construction activities in the Mahanadi upstream.
Later, Naveen toured Keonjhar district and reiterated his government's intention of providing loans at 1 per cent interest to the women self-help groups.
He also laid the foundation stone of a medical college for Keonjhar district and a regional campus of the North Odisha University in Keonjhar. The state government will provide Rs 300 crore for the medical college.
However, the BJP today said the BJD was raising the Mahanadi issue keeping the panchayat elections in mind. "They are not keen on protecting the interests of the state but busy in creating a vote bank," said senior BJP leader Biswa Bhusan Harichandan.
BJP activists hurled eggs at the finance minister Pradeep Amat's official vehicle near Naranpur, while it was returning to Bhubaneswar from the chief minister's meeting in Keonjhar. The minister was not in the car.
BJD workers led by the party's district youth wing president Soumya Sundar allegedly beat up Keonjhar district BJP Yuva Morcha president Hema Ranjan Barik, while he was trying to show black flag to the chief minister. The BJP leaders lodged a complaint at the local police station in this connection. No one has been arrested so far.
In another development, 23 district Congress committee presidents today camped in New Delhi to meet AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi and throw their weight behind Pradesh Congress Committee president Prasad Harichandan.
They will meet Rahul tomorrow and try to convince him not to effect any change in the state party leadership keeping the panchayat elections in mind.