Naveen Patnaik Questions Odisha Government Silence on Kotia Dispute
· India · The Hindu, NDTV, Times of India
Former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik questioned the state government's silence regarding Andhra Pradesh issuing a panchayat election notification for disputed villages in Kotia. Writing to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Patnaik asked if the BJP's dependence on NDA ally TDP was compromising Odisha's territorial integrity. The decades-old dispute involves competing claims by Odisha and Andhra Pradesh over 21 of the 28 villages in Koraput district's Kotia Gram Panchayat. State minister Suresh Pujari responded that the government is prepared to thwart any provocative attempts by Andhra Pradesh, while a fresh suit remains pending before the Supreme Court.
Why it matters
The escalating political row over the Kotia border dispute puts pressure on the ruling BJP government in Odisha to defend state territorial claims against an NDA ally.
Read the original report — The Hindu
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