Bhubaneswar: Chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday issued a clarion call for a fight to protect the state's interest on the Mahanadi, barely 24 hours ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit.

"We are not fighting just for water, we are fighting for the life of Mahanadi," said Naveen, throwing a direct challenge to Modi, who the BJD has accused of playing a partisan role on the Mahanadi dispute between Chhattisgarh and Odisha. Modi will address the nation from the banks of the river on Saturday.

Addressing the concluding event of the BJD's Save Mahanadi campaign in Paradip, Naveen said: "For the protection of the river, the people of the state are united. We will give a befitting reply to the attack on the life and livelihood of our people. The movement to Save Mahanadi is not just a political movement only, it has turned into a people's movement."

"If the BJP leaders are concerned about the interests of Odisha, they should oppose the projects taken up on the river by Chhattisgarh. Can they oppose the Chhattisgarh government? The people of the state already know about the double standards adopted by them." Naveen said. He also demanded the preservation of Satkosia, Chilika and Bhitarkanika eco-systems, which are dependent on Mahanadi.

Naveen said: "If the Mahanadi is to live as a river, its water level has to be maintained along the 500km basin during summer."

The BJD's Rajya Sabha member Prasanna Acharya said: "We hope he would listen to the Mann ki Baat of 4.21 crore people of the state."

However, the BJP accused Naveen of adopting double standards on the issue. "On the Mahanadi, Naveen is speaking one thing as the chief minister and saying another thing as the leader of the BJD. As the chief minister on the floor of the Assembly, he had said that Odisha was getting adequate water from Mahanadi and 53 per cent of the river water was flowing into the sea. But, as the BJD president, he speaks in a different tone," said BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra.