Bhubaneswar: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Thursday came down heavily on Odisha Advocate General, Pitambar Acharya, over his remarks on the Mahanadi water dispute with Chhattisgarh.

Addressing a presser earlier in the day, Acharya said that the dispute was ‘artificial’ and deliberately created to serve some vested interests. “The dispute was artificially created ahead of the elections, not for justice but for political optics alone. Expensive legal battles were planned to benefit certain ‘highly-paid’ lawyers. Real efforts to resolve the matter began after the BJP formed the government in Odisha,” he said. ADVERTISEMENT

The Advocate General further stated that no water dispute case has ever been settled in India through tribunals. “The (BJD-led) government fought the case for nearly sev

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