BJD rejects Gadkari's proposal to settle river issue through talks
Bhubaneswar: The ruling BJD in Odisha today rejected Union Water Resources Minister Nitin Gadkari's proposal to settle the Mahanadi river water dispute with Chhattisgarh through dialogue.
BJD spokesperson Prashant Nanda said that discussions on the matter would make sense only after the Chhattisgarh government halts construction work on the river.
"There is no point in discussing the issue with Chhattisgarh as the central government has not asked the neighbouring state to stop construction work along the upstream of the river Mahanadi," Nanda told reporters.
The BJD's reaction came minutes after Gadkari, while replying to a series of questions on the Mahanadi river issue in the Lok Sabha, requested the Odisha government to settle the dispute with Chhattisgarh through negotiations.
The Union minister also justified the central government's move to decline the BJD government's proposal to form a tribunal in the case and said records show it only delayed solution.
Nanda said it was a ploy of the BJP-led central government to help Chhattisgarh in carrying out 'illegal' construction work.
"The state government, in view of the interests of Odisha people, cannot go to the negotiation table unless Chhattisgarh stops construction work. Gadkari's request is just a part of a conspiracy hatched against Odisha," he asserted.
Uma Bharati, during her tenure as the water resources minister, had also categorically said that the Centre cannot ask Chhattisgarh to stop project work on Mahanadi, the BJD's Parliamentary Party leader Bharuhari Mahatab said in the Lok Sabha.
The Odisha unit of the BJP, however, welcomed Gadkari's proposal and accused the state's BJD government of politicising the issue.
"As a tribunal takes 20 to 30 years to resolve water disputes between states, it is better to solve the matter through discussion," BJP state vice-president Samir Mohanty said.
The opposition Congress, on its part, blamed both the BJD and the BJP for the dispute.
"The state government had initially allowed the Chhattisgarh government to initiate construction work on the Mahanadi. Now, they are opposing it...The BJP is also politicising the matter as the party is in power in Chhattisgarh," senior Congress leader Sarat Rout said.
Samajwadi Party's state unit president Rabi Behera today wrote to Gadkari, stressing on the need to create a congenial atmosphere for the discussions to happen.
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Chhattisgarh journalist murder: Main accused Suresh Chandrakar nabbed from Hyderabad
Bijapur (PTI): Suresh Chandrakar, the prime accused in the murder of a journalist in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, has been arrested from Hyderabad by a Special Investigation Team (SIT), police said on Monday.
The accused, a contractor by profession, was absconding since the murder of journalist Mukesh Chandrakar came to light on January 3, they said.
The SIT, constituted to conduct the probe into the murder case, rounded up Suresh Chandrakar from Hyderabad late Sunday night, Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) Sundarraj P told PTI.
The accused was brought to Bijapur on Monday morning and his interrogation was underway, the official said.
Suresh Chandrakar's brothers Ritesh Chandrakar and Dinesh Chandrakar and supervisor Mahendra Ramteke have already been arrested in the case, he said.
Mukesh Chandrakar (33), a freelance journalist, went missing on January 1. His body was found on January 3 in a septic tank on a property owned by Suresh Chandrakar at Chattanpara Basti in Bijapur town, police earlier said.
The deceased worked as a freelance journalist for the NDTV news channel and also ran a YouTube channel, 'Bastar Junction', which has some 1.59 lakh subscribers.
A news report highlighting alleged corruption in a road construction work in Bijapur, that was shown on NDTV on December 25, is being discussed as the motive behind Mukesh Chandrakar's murder.
The said construction work was linked to contractor Suresh Chandrakar.
Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma had claimed that Suresh Chandrakar was a Congress leader. The opposition party, however, claimed the accused joined the ruling BJP recently.
Authorities have initiated action against the accused's illegal properties and encroachments. A construction yard built by Suresh Chandrakar after usurping forest land along the Bijapur-Gangaloor Road has been razed, local officials had said.
Police have also started the process to freeze the bank accounts of Suresh Chandrakar and other accused. So far, three accounts of Suresh Chandrakar have been put on hold.
Mukesh Chandrakar had played a crucial role in the release of CoBRA commando Rakeshwar Singh Manhas from Maoist captivity in April 2021 following the Takalguda Naxal ambush in Bijapur in which 22 security personnel were martyred.
The Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) is a specialised jungle warfare unit of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
Members of the Mahar community on Sunday took out a candle march here to condemn the journalist's murder and demanded capital punishment for the accused.
On Saturday, journalists held a protest at the Raipur Press Club, demanding strict action against the accused.
