BJD Says Pradhan's Visit To Disputed Kotia 'Politically Motivated', BJP Hits Back

The BJD on Monday said Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's visit to the disputed Kotia area was politically motivated, reacting to which the BJP said that the ruling party was endorsing Andhra Pradesh's "intrusion" into Odisha's territory. Asserting that the Kotia cluster of villages is an integral part of Odisha, Pradhan on Saturday raised the "Andhra Pradesh Go Back" slogan during his visit to the area. Senior BJD leader Pradeep Majhi criticised Pradhan's visit, stating it was a farce to mislead the people. "Pradhan's visit to Kotia is politically motivated and aimed at the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. He has no sincerity to resolve the issue between Odisha and Andhra Pradesh," Majhi told reporters.

BJP MLAs LB Mohapatra, Mukesh Mahaling, Suryabanshi Suraj and Sanatan Bijuli, who accompanied Pradhan to Kotia to celebrate Utkal Dibasa, hit back at the BJD. The ruling BJD has endorsed the intrusion of Andhra Pradesh into Odisha's territory by criticising Pradhan's visit, they said at a press conference. Mohapatra said Pradhan did not commit any sin by raising the "go back" slogan and singing the state song. "Criticising Pradhan is nothing but intolerance of the ruling BJD." Mahaling said the Odisha government has not convened an all-party meeting though Pradhan write to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik several times on the need to resolve the issue.

Andra Pradesh is working hard to grab the area, he alleged. In reply, state Revenue Minister Pramila Mallik said Pradhan should seek the Centre's intervention for the resolution of the dispute. She said the Odisha government has undertaken a slew of developmental activities in the area. "The road on which the Union minister travelled to Kotia was built by the state government," she said. The dispute over the ownership of 21 of the 28 villages in Kotia panchayat first reached the Supreme Court in 1968. In 2006, the apex court held that inter-state boundaries do not fall within its purview and only Parliament could resolve the issue. In 2021, despite Odisha's objection, Andhra Pradesh conducted rural polls in the area.