Indravati Left canal in bad shape, farmers deprived of irrigation

The left main canal of Indravati project is no longer in a position to provide water at the tail end due to lack of renovation and repair.

- STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE

Newly-appointed Odisha Congress chief Bhakta Charan Das faced a public embarrassment as a host of senior party leaders gave his protest against OBC reservation discrimination a cold shoulder, refusing to show up at the dharna he had called in front of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi's residence.

The protest, meant to showcase the Congress's commitment to OBC rights, instead exposed a deep rift within the state unit, with veterans like Niranjan Patnaik, Jayadev Jena, Srikanta Jena, Md Moquim and others staying conspicuously absent. Their absence sent a clear message: all is not well in the state Congress just three months after Das took over the reins.

From the outset, Das's elevation as OPCC president in February had raised eyebrows. Many in the party were stunned by the AICC's choice of a leader with no appeal beyond his home turf of Kalahandi and Nuapada—regions where he has lost elections in recent years. His lack of traction in the politically critical coastal belt only added to the simmering resentment.