Even after 100 days, Majhi govt still has to cover lot of ground in Odisha

Last week, as Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi addressed a gathering in Puri to highlight the achievements of his 100 days in office, including the rollout of the Subhadra scheme, there were allegations of police brutality against an Army officer and his woman friend in Bhubaneswar. Simultaneously, tribal protests broke out in far-off Malkanagiri and Rayagada districts.

The Crime Branch is investigating the Bhubaneswar incident. “The incident has overshadowed the rollout of the scheme and the government’s claims of women’s empowerment,” said Rabi Das, a veteran journalist in the state.

Walking the talk

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was in Odisha last week, launched the scaled-down version of Subhadra Yojana worth Rs 55,825 crore. The scheme promises to transfer Rs 50,000 directly to the accounts of 10 million women aged between 21 and 60, in 10 instalments over five years.

“During the last 100 days, we have fulfilled many such promises. Our manifesto is a scripture for me,” said Majhi, flanked by his council of ministers.

In its first week, the government fulfilled its key promises by opening all four gates of the 12th-century Shree Jagannatha Temple in Puri, initiating the audit of the Ratna Bhandara (temple treasure trove), and creating a Rs 500 crore corpus for temple management.

The government also raised the minimum support price (MSP) for paddy to Rs 3,100 per quintal, with a Budget allocation of Rs 5,000 crore. The government plans to attract industrial investments of Rs 2.5 trillion over the next five years.

Political analysts argue that while these schemes have strong public appeal, extending the Subhadra payouts over five years, instead of two years as promised in the manifesto, may not be enough to deliver the intended economic relief. “If it had been designed as a bankable scheme, it could have supported their economic activities,” said former bureaucrat and columnist Prasanna Mishra.

Biju Janata Dal (BJD) legislator Arun Kumar Sahoo accused the BJP of misleading the public. “How will Rs 5,000 in bank accounts create 2.5 million lakhpati didis as promised by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)?” he questioned.

Das said the paddy procurement season with increased MSP would create a euphoria similar to the Subhadra scheme.

Name-changing barbs

In his first Budget, Majhi, also the finance minister, retained many of his predecessor’s popular schemes, such as farmer-oriented KALIA and Ama Odisha Nabin Odisha, but renamed several of them after Lord Jagannatha and the state’s freedom fighters. This drew criticism from Leader of the Opposition Naveen Patnaik, who labelled the BJP as a “name changer, not a game changer”.

The health insurance scheme, Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana, was rebranded Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojana, with Rs 5,450 crore allocated for it.

In August, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s proposal to rename the 156-year-old Ravenshaw University in Cuttack sparked widespread protests. While retired political science professor Bijay Bohidar said it was a tactic to divert attention from real issues, the BJD’s Sahoo said name-changing was in the BJP’s political DNA.

Zero tolerance?

During the event in Puri, Majhi announced that 71 corruption cases had been registered within the first 100 days, and 58 government officials had been arrested, in line with the government’s zero-tolerance policy on corruption, which topped the list in its election manifesto.

However, political observers point to lack of efforts to go against high-profile cases. “Zero tolerance has no meaning without action. The vigilance was as active under Patnaik as it is now,” said Das.

Law and order

In the first session of the 17th Assembly, Patnaik led an Opposition walkout during Governor Raghubar Das’ address, protesting alleged inaction against the governor’s son, accused of assaulting an official at the Puri Raj Bhavan. The new government also faced challenges from communal tensions in Balasore shortly after assuming office in June and in Khurda in August.

Tribal protests

Earlier this month, thousands of tribals gathered at Malkangiri’s district headquarters to demand the implementation of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act and community forest rights. 

The government has indicated it would discuss the Act in the next Assembly session.

Last week, tribals stormed a police station in Rayagada, demanding the release of a youth arrested during protests against a contractor firm’s attempts to acquire the Sijimali mines. “The BJP government inherited the issue from its predecessor,” said Bohidar.  

Majhi, himself a tribal, is facing a crucial test as he had raised these issues as the BJP’s chief whip in the last Assembly.

Political one-upmanship

Following the poll debacle, Patnaik formed a shadow Cabinet by assigning departments to 50 MLAs to scrutinise the BJP government and raise issues in the Assembly. Sahoo said the “BJP’s poor administration, vindictive attitude, and inexperienced council of ministers” would help the BJD fight back. However, at the Puri rally, Majhi said the BJP doesn’t need a certificate from any private organisation. “It’s the people who will give the certificate of efficiency.”

Critics argue that while the BJP has delivered on some of its election promises, the 2027 panchayat elections will put the ruling party to test.

As Das pointed out, it’s still early days for the Majhi government. “While it has shown ambition, it has yet to fully establish its authority or address the deeper issues facing Odisha,” Mishra concluded.