Cuttack: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday attacked the Naveen Patnaik government for misleading people on the Mahanadi water-sharing dispute between Odisha and Chhattisgarh.

He also held the state government responsible for the situation that had arisen on the issue. However, as a matter of protocol, Modi did not directly take the name of Naveen while targeting the state government.

Modi said: "In the Assembly, the state government had accepted that more than 50 per cent of Mahanadi water drains into the Bay of Bengal. Even the Centre tried to resolve the issue, but the Odisha government did not co-operate. Nitin Gadkari ji had written a letter inviting the Odisha government on the issue to settle it. But, the state government backed out. Even a proposal was mooted to set up a tribunal. But, it was also rejected. Despite being in power for so many years, it failed to develop a system, so that the Mahanadi water reaches the poor and the farmers."

Hinting at the state government's inefficiency to complete the various irrigation projects, Modi further said on Saturday: "The people of Odisha want to know why the Lower Indravati Irrigation Project, which had started 20 years ago, was delayed for so long. It even failed to utilise the water of the five major rivers flowing in the state."

Raising question on the state government's seriousness about completing various projects, he said: "Why has the state government delayed various irrigation projects and pushed up the project costs by four to five times? The farmers of Odisha have been left in lurch." Terming his government as pro-farmer and pro-poor, Modi said: "We are a committed government. The Centre has taken up the responsibility of bringing a change and ensure that water reaches their farmland and their income be doubled."

Reacting to Modi's allegation, BJD spokesperson Pratap Deb said: "The Prime Minister's speech was disappointing. He had given wrong statements on the Mahanadi."