Bhubaneswar, 13 December (H.S.): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday rejected the Biju Janata Dal’s (BJD) allegations over the Mahanadi water dispute, questioning the opposition party’s credibility and track record on the issue.

Responding to the charges, BJP legislator Jayanarayan Mishra said the BJD had remained in power in Odisha for 24 years but failed to resolve the long-pending dispute. He alleged that although the BJD government had constituted three to four committees during its tenure, it never made their findings public.

Mishra further claimed that the BJD government lacked clarity on the construction of barrages in Chhattisgarh during those years. “They were in power for 24 years and formed several committees, but did they ever place the details or findings of these committees in the public domain?” he asked.

Questioning the opposition’s claims of being fully aware of the Mahanadi river system, Mishra said that despite asserting knowledge of the river from its origin to the Hirakud reservoir, the BJD appeared unaware of developments upstream. “If they knew everything about the Mahanadi, how could they have had no information about the barrages in Chhattisgarh? Their statements carry no weight,” he added.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda