The BJD on Friday urged Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi to reconsider the proposed three-time salary hike of lawmakers in the Assembly, a day after ruling BJP MLAs made a similar request.
Fear of a public backlash appears to have rattled Odisha lawmakers, who are now signalling a rethink on the three-fold hike in their salaries and allowances approved by the Assembly on December 9, the final day of the winter session.
The hike is being viewed as excessive, particularly in light of the state’s economic constraints and when compared with the salaries drawn by legislators in other states.
Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik was the first senior political figure to publicly distance himself from the pay revision. Soon after, the ruling BJP itself indicated discomfort with the move, with its MLAs on Thursday appealing to the chief minister to review the decision. The bills, which make the enhanced salaries effective retrospectively from June 5, 2024, are currently awaiting the governor’s assent.
On Friday, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) formally urged chief minister Majhi to withdraw the salary hike. Shortly after the bills were passed, BJD president and former chief minister Naveen Patnaik had written to the chief minister stating that he would forgo the increased salary and allowances. In his letter, Naveen recalled that his family had donated its ancestral property, Anand Bhavan in Cuttack, for public use in 2015. “In the same spirit, I would like to forgo the salary and allowances hiked for the leader of Opposition which the Odisha Legislative Assembly has recently passed,” he wrote.
Addressing a press conference, BJD chief whip Pramilla Mallick, accompanied by former minister Pratap Deb, said the decision had sparked serious public resentment. “A bill was passed in the Odisha Assembly on December 9 hiking the emoluments of
legislators. Though it was passed unanimously, it has triggered strong public discontent. Keeping public sentiment in mind, our party president Naveen Patnaik announced his decision to forgo the hiked salary and suggested that the additional amount be utilised for public welfare,” Mallick said.
She added that, following Naveen’s direction and respecting public opinion, the party had urged the chief minister to review the decision. Deb echoed the sentiment, saying, “Considering the strong public reaction against the hike, we are hopeful that the state government will reconsider the decision and take appropriate steps.”
The bills passed by the Assembly raised the monthly emoluments of MLAs from ₹1.11 lakh to ₹3.45 lakh. They also approved a three-fold hike in the salaries and allowances of the chief minister, deputy chief minister, ministers and other constitutional functionaries. Under the revised structure, the chief minister’s monthly package would rise to ₹3.74 lakh, including a salary of ₹1 lakh, a car allowance of ₹91,000 and a sumptuary allowance of ₹1.83 lakh. The leader of Opposition would draw approximately ₹3.62 lakh per month.