Mahanadi Unites Us, Not Divides: Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai Vows Just & Permanent Solution With Odisha Under Amit Shah’s Leadership

‘Chhattisgarh Chief Secretary Vikas Sheel, PS to CM Subodh Singh and Water Resources Department Secretary Rajesh Sukumar Toppo were also present at a high-level meeting on river water sharing chaired by Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah.

‘Team India’ Vision: Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai Thanks PM Modi For Resolving River Disputes Through Dialogue, Not Courts

Strong Angle – Naxal to Mahanadi: From Guns to Growth in Bastar: CM Vishnu Deo Sai Says Same Resolve That Ended Naxalism Will Solve Mahanadi Dispute

Emotional Integration Angle: History Remembers Patel For Uniting Geography, Will Remember Amit Shah For Uniting Rivers: Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Deo Sai thanked Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for his ‘Team India’ vision of cooperative federalism, saying the Centre is resolving decades-old inter-state river disputes through dialogue, not litigation.

Speaking at a high-level meeting on river water sharing chaired by Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah, CM Sai said:

“First and foremost, on behalf of nearly three crore people of Chhattisgarh, I express my heartfelt gratitude to Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji. It is his dream that every river basin in the country becomes dispute-free and water issues are resolved not in courts, but through dialogue and cooperation.”

Lauding the Prime Minister’s model of federalism, CM Sai said PM Modi has given cooperative federalism the spirit of ‘Team India’. “No matter which party is in power in a state, he takes every state along, because for him, the development of every state is the development of Bharat.”

‘From Sardar Patel to Amit Shah – Bharat’s Emotional Integration’

Praising Home Minister Amit Shah, CM Sai said after Independence, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel united more than 500 princely states to integrate Bharat’s geography. “Today, you are carrying forward that great tradition. By abrogating Article 370, you connected Jammu and Kashmir with the constitutional mainstream. And now, by resolving decades-old water disputes, you are connecting Bharat by hearts. This is Bharat’s emotional integration.”

Citing recent successes, CM Sai said in this year alone, the nearly three-decade-old Yamuna water dispute between Haryana and Rajasthan was resolved on 29th June; issues related to Narmada involving four states — Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan — were settled on 7th July; and the nearly 25-year-old Sone river dispute between Bihar and Jharkhand ended on 31st August.

“Disputes stuck in files for generations have been resolved in just a few months due to your resolve,” he said.

‘Mahanadi Does Not Divide, It Unites’

Reaffirming Chhattisgarh’s commitment to a just solution on the Mahanadi dispute with Odisha, CM Sai said Chhattisgarh has witnessed the power of HM Shah’s resolve in Bastar.

“For decades, Bastar endured Naxal violence. You set a deadline of 31st March 2026, and under your supervision, that resolve was fulfilled. Today, in Bastar, there is no talk of guns, but of development. I have full faith that the same resolve that ended Naxalism will also find a solution to the Mahanadi dispute,” CM Sai said.

He added, “Mahanadi does not divide us, it unites us. My younger brother Majhi Ji and I both come from the soil of Vananchal; we both know what it means to deliver water to a farmer’s field. The faith of Mahaprabhu Jagannath Ji flows in one stream from Shivrinarayan to Puri. Under your leadership, we two brothers will together find a permanent solution.”

‘Our Stand is Justice-Based’

Clarifying Chhattisgarh’s stand, CM Sai said the state’s position is based on justice. “Mahanadi originates in Chhattisgarh and more than half of its catchment lies in our state; the needs of our farmers and tribal regions are genuine. At the same time, Hirakud is the lifeline of Odisha, and Chhattisgarh will fully cooperate in keeping it flowing.”

“Our demand is one — a solution where no one loses: just, impartial and sustainable,” he said, expressing full faith in the mediation of Jal Shakti Ministry under Shri C.R. Patil Ji and the scientific assessment of the Central Water Commission.

CM Sai said, “History remembers Sardar Patel Ji for uniting the geography of Bharat. Future generations will remember you for uniting Bharat’s rivers and the hearts of its states. The resolution of Mahanadi will be the next golden page of that chapter — and Chhattisgarh stands with you to write it.”