Dharmendra Pradhan  
Andhra Pradesh

Union Min reignites AP-Odisha border row with ‘Andhra go back’ slogan

Both Andhra Pradesh and Odisha have claimed authority over 21 border villages in the Kotia gram panchayat, and the dispute has remained unresolved for over five decades.

Written by : TNM Staff

The decades-long dispute between Andhra Pradesh and Odisha over 21 border villages is in the news again, after Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan claimed that these villages belong to Odisha. During a recent visit to Kotia on April 1, on the occasion of Odisha’s state formation day, the Union minister was seen telling officials from Andhra Pradesh to “go back” to their state, while claiming that the 21 disputed villages of Kotia gram panchayat belonged to Odisha. With both the neighbouring states claiming control of the border villages, the dispute has remained unresolved for over 55 years.

Dharmendra Pradhan, who himself hails from Odisha, had previously urged the Andhra Pradesh government to hold bilateral talks with Odisha to reach an amicable resolution over the issue. His latest remarks have irked the Andhra Pradesh government, with Deputy Chief Minister Rajanna Dora Peedika demanding that the Union minister withdraw his remarks and issue an apology. Meanwhile, the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Odisha too criticised Pradhan’s visit, calling it politically motivated. 

The row over Dharmendra Pradhan’s remarks

On April 1, while taking part in the state formation day celebrations, Pradhan encountered a few officials and police personnel from Andhra Pradesh. In a video of the interaction, even as the official from Andhra tried to talk about the inter-state border dispute, Pradhan is heard saying, “No Andhra, only Odisha.” He went on to say, “These are all Kotia panchayat, is of Odisha, no Andhra. Please go back.” He then raised the slogan “Andhra go back,” which was enthusiastically echoed by his supporters. He also raised the slogan “Bande Utkala Janani,” hailing Odisha. 

A day after Pradhan made the controversial remark, Andhra Pradesh Deputy CM Rajanna Dora held a press meet and sought an apology. “The issue is sub-judice in the Supreme Court. But unfortunately, the Union minister stated that the region belongs to Odisha. He must take back his words,” said Rajanna Dora, who represents the Salur Assembly constituency close to the Odisha border. 

The controversy did not end here, as Rajanna’s comments triggered a verbal spat between the BJD and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Odisha. BJP leaders in Odisha criticised the BJD for its silence over Andhra’s demand that Pradhan retract his statements. However, senior BJD leader Pradeep Majhi hit back at the BJP, calling Pradhan’s visit “politically motivated.” “Pradhan's visit to Kotia is aimed at the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. He has no sincerity to resolve the issue between Odisha and Andhra Pradesh," said the BJD leader. 

What is the dispute all about?

The Kotia cluster of villages, which have a predominantly tribal population, are located near Odisha’s Koraput district, and are believed to have abundant mineral resources such as gold, platinum, manganese, bauxite, graphite and limestone. At the time of Odisha’s formation in 1936, the government had mistakenly skipped surveying these villages. Andhra Pradesh too did not survey the villages at the time of its formation in 1956.  

With Andhra Pradesh and Odisha both claiming administrative authority over 21 of the 28 villages in Kotia gram panchayat, the latter approached the Supreme Court in 1968. In 2006, the apex court held that inter-state boundaries did not fall within its jurisdiction and only the Parliament could resolve them, as it imposed a permanent injunction on the disputed area. In 2021, the region witnessed several incidents of skirmishes, even as Andhra Pradesh held panchayat polls in the villages. 

In November 2021, the Chief Ministers of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, Naveen Patnaik and YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, met in Bhubaneshwar to discuss the border dispute along with other issues, weeks after Dharmendra Pradhan’s push for bilateral talks. 

At present, most residents of these border villages have ration cards and voter identification cards from both state governments. They are also eligible to avail benefits of welfare schemes of both state governments. Some of these villages reportedly have two sarpanches, representing the two states. 

In April last year, Andhra Pradesh was reorganised to create 13 new districts, taking the total number to 26. One of the new districts, Parvathipuram Manyam, was formed with all 28 villages under Kotia gram panchayat merged with Salur mandal as per the district map. This step further aggravated the controversy, with many Odisha leaders protesting the move. Later, in October 2022, Andhra Pradesh Deputy CM Rajanna Dora visited Kotia panchayat and discussed welfare schemes with the residents, triggering another row. 

Even as the residents of Kotia await a resolution, both state governments have been making efforts to strengthen their claim on the villages by taking up various development projects. In 2018, the Odisha government had announced a development package worth Rs 150 crore for the 21 villages, for various infrastructure projects. After the latest row over Pradhan’s “Go back Andhra” remark, the Parvathipuram Manyam district administration has reportedly proposed to build schools, police stations, parks, anganwadi centres and other infrastructure worth Rs 15 crore in these villages.