BHUBANESWAR: The BJD is likely to adopt an aggressive stand against the BJP-led Government at the Centre during the monsoon session of the Parliament, beginning July 18, by raising State-specific issues.
The party will raise Mahanadi river water dispute in both the Houses of Parliament. The party will lodge a protest against the Centre’s apathy over the matter, Rajya Sabha member Prasanna Acharya said and added that though a tribunal has been formed after intervention of the Supreme Court, Chhattisgarh government has not been asked to stop all ongoing projects till the tribunal gives its recommendations.
The party members will also raise Polavaram issue and demand that work on the project be stopped till the matter is settled in Supreme Court. The Centre’s decision to keep in abeyance with the stop work order on the project by one more year will be raised by the party during the session, he said. The demand to hike the minimum support price (MSP) of paddy to `2,930 per quintal will also be raised.
Odisha Government had been opposing Polavaram project on Godavari river as it could lead to submergence of a vast tract of land in the State. Odisha Assembly had passed an unanimous resolution demanding that MSP should be fixed at `2,930 per quintal but the Centre had recently hiked MSP on paddy by `200 per quintal, raising it `1,750 per quintal now.Acharya said the BJD members will also raise the long-standing demand for special category state status for Odisha.