Bhubaneswar: The Opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has accused the BJP of compromising Odisha's mineral revenue and of failing to defend the state in the Kotia and Mahanadi disputes, alleging that its dependence on the TDP at the Centre has weakened its resolve.
BJD spokesperson and media coordinator Dr Lenin Mohanty, in a post on X, alleged that the BJP's support for the MMDR Amendment Act, 2026 had deprived Odisha of its rights over mineral-bearing land and caused losses he put at about Rs 1 lakh crore in pending dues and other damage.
Separately, BJD president and former chief minister Naveen Patnaik wrote to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Monday, raising Andhra Pradesh's notification for panchayat elections in three disputed villages in the Kotia area of Koraput district.
Patnaik questioned whether the BJP's alliance with the TDP in Andhra was affecting the Odisha government's handling of the dispute. The row between the two states is pending before the Supreme Court.
The Odisha government has rejected the charge of double standards, with officials saying the state will protect its rights and its boundary.
Kotia is a border area in Koraput district, where several villages are claimed by both Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. The dispute is pending in the Supreme Court. The BJD argues that pressure from the alliance at the Centre is holding the BJP back from taking a decisive stand for Odisha.
Mohanty made clear the BJD will keep pressing the government on both the Mahanadi water dispute and mineral revenue.