Bhubaneswar: When Odisha needed their support the most, the BJP led Center and the Union Minister from Odisha played the spoilsport and acted against Odisha’s interests. When Chhattisgarh was undertaking illegal constructions in the Mahanadi basin that were detrimental for the interest of Odisha, they made every effort to hinder the legal options with Odisha and tried their best to stop the formation of a Tribunal. Biju Janata Dal leader and 5T Chairman Kartik Pandian today explained the Center’s double standards in a video message released today. In his message, he said, “What was the role of the Union Government? How the Center gave one-sided support to Chhattisgarh Government on the Mahanadi issue?
He said, “In their Affidavit, the Union Government and Chhattisgarh Government unitedly fought against Odisha o the Mahanadi issue in the Supreme Court. They tried their best to stop the formation of the Tribunal. Due to the hard work of our beloved Chief Minister, we got the orders from the Supreme Court on formation of the Tribunal. The Union Minister belonging to Odisha tried his best to stop the formation of the Tribunal so that Chhattisgarh would have continued the illegal constructions. Odisha will get justice through the Tribunal. Mahanadi is like our mother. Odisha’s lifeline, our farmer’s lifeline. Doing politics with Mahanadi is not good. May Maa Samalei give them good sense.”