Pujari accuses BJD of failing to resolve Kotia issue

Bhubaneswar: Andhra Pradesh’s poll notification for three villages in Koraput district has sparked a political row in Odisha, with minister Suresh Pujari accusing former chief minister Naveen Patnaik of trying to cover up past mistakes by alleging that the BJP government was “silent” on the matter. The decades-old dispute involves both Odisha and Andhra Pradesh claiming their right over 21 of the 28 villages of Kotia gram panchayat on the borders of the two States. The matter has been pending before the Supreme Court, with a fresh suit filed by Odisha in January 2022 still under consideration.

A day after BJD president Patnaik demanded to know whether the BJP’s “dependence” on NDA ally TDP was the reason for Odisha government’s “silence” on the panchayat poll notification, Pujari on Tuesday accused the previous BJD dispensation of failing to resolve the border dispute.

The Odisha Revenue and Disaster Management Minister said, “We have been trying our best to resolve the Kotia issue. I visited Kotia four times in the past two years, and our ministers are making regular visits to connect with the people there.” “Several developmental works have been taken up in the area. However, the issue (border dispute with Andhra Pradesh) has escalated due to the negligence of the previous BJD government headed by Naveen Patnaik,” Pujari told reporters.

The BJD chief’s letter to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi was an “eyewash, an attempt at covering up past mistakes”, he added. Both the Opposition BJD and Congress have accused the BJP government of “double standards” and reneging on Odisha’s territorial integrity and pride.

Patnaik, who is also the Leader of the Opposition in the Odisha Assembly, had sent a letter to CM Majhi, expressing concern over Andhra Pradesh’s notification announcing polls in Phagunasineri, Ganjeipadar and Phatusineri villagers of Kotia gram panchayat. “What happened to the BJP’s assurances that Kotia belongs to Odisha? What makes this even more troubling is that the Telugu Desam Party, which governs Andhra Pradesh, is a crucial ally of the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre,” the former chief minister had said.

Pujari said he held five-time former chief minister Patnaik in high regard, but said the BJD president writing to Majhi on the matter was an attempt at staying in the limelight instead of giving constructive suggestions.

“We respect your experience. Come forward and let’s resolve the issue together. I also call upon the BJD for an open debate over the Kotia matter,” the minister said.

He held a meeting on Tuesday with Odisha’s Advocate General, Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC), southern division, and Koraput District Collector to discuss the issue. “I have asked the RDC and the Collector to keep a close watch on the Kotia area and keep the State government updated,” the minister said.

The BJD spokesperson, Lenin Mohanty, on the other hand, came down heavily on the State government and alleged that Odisha has been facing debacles ever since the BJP came to power in the State in June, 2024. “The BJP supported the MMDR Amendment Act, 2026, a black law under which Odisha lost its rights over mineral-bearing land, along with a pending amount of Rs 1 lakh crore and Rs 12,000 crore every year. For the BJP, the interests of a few industrialists mattered more than those of 4.5 crore Odias. It did not even consider the interests of our Gen Z,” he said.

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