Bhubaneswar, Sept. 7: Chief minister Naveen Patnaik has agreed to take part in the Centre-sponsored tripartite meet over Mahanadi dispute in Delhi. However, Naveen has suggested that it be held on September 17.

Naveen will call a preparatory meeting of his officials on the issue on September 12 at the state secretariat. After BJD intensified its agitation over the issue and targeted the BJP, Union water resources minister Uma Bharti had on August 24 announced that she would hold a meeting with the chief ministers of Odisha and Chhattisgarh at a mutually convenient date between September 10 and 20 in New Delhi. She had also assured that no injustice would be done to Odisha.

Reacting to the chief minister's willingness to take part in the Delhi meet, Opposition leader Narasingha Mishra told The Telegraph: "He should expose the Chhattisgarh and the NDA governments and protect the interests of the state." Mishra had earlier led a delegation to Chhattisgarh to have a look at the projects being undertaken by that state on Mahanadi.

However, the BJD today made it clear that irrespective of the Delhi meet, the party would go ahead with its protest programmes on the issue. Party spokesperson Pratap Deb told said: "Chief minister's attending the meeting in New Delhi is not linked to our agitation programme. We will go ahead with our programme across the state."

Deb's statement makes it clear that the BJD would not let the Mahanadi issue die at least till the panchayat elections scheduled early next year.

On July 29, the water resources ministry had called a meeting of senior officials of both the states to sort out the water-sharing issue. Chief secretaries of the two states had attended the meeting, which, however, failed to resolve the issue. Odisha had reservation about the constitution of a joint board, which was suggested at the meeting, as the state did not have enough information on the issue from Chhattisgarh government. The party sent a delegation to Chhattisgarh on August 9 for a spot study.

The controversy intensified after Union petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan criticised Odisha government, alleging that it was trying to extract political mileage out of the issue and was not interested in finding a solution. He had said that Odisha's interests would not be compromised with.

BJD vice-president Damodar Rout today described the Union minister as a dejected leader. "He has been defeated twice in elections from the state. In the Paradip oil refinery, only five per cent people from Odisha are working. But in an oil refinery in Bihar, we have found 87 per cent people from that state is working. Similar is the case in Assam. Then how can one describe him as an Odia? His stand on Mahanadi is also not clear," said Rout. He also targeted the Prime Minister on the issue. "The Prime Minister should take all steps to resolve the issue and protect the interests of Odisha."

BJD MP Tathagata Satpathy called Pradhan a fugitive leader, apparently hinting at his Rajya Sabha status from Bihar. However, BJP leaders here said that BJD leaders were attacking the Union minister as they were jealous of his success. Party spokesperson Sajjan Sharma said: "BJD leaders should know that Pradhan is more an Odia than any one of them. He has been elected to the state Assembly and Lok Sabha from Odisha."