Former chief minister Naveen Patnaik and chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi engaged in a war of words on Saturday with the leader of Opposition accusing the double-engine government of insulting legendary leader Biju Patnaik by delinking the Panchayati Raj Divas from his birthday, celebrated for the last three decades.

He also accused the government of hoodwinking women in the name of the Subhadra scheme. Without taking names, both the leaders questioned the performance of the other’s government.

Chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi disbursed money to more than a crore women beneficiaries of the Subhadra scheme on Saturday also the International Women’s Day while attending a meeting at Berhampur, the southern hub of Odisha. The money was credited to the accounts of the women beneficiaries.

Launching a scathing attack on the Majhi government, Naveen said, it was Biju Babu who had brought 33 per cent reservation for women at the three-tier panchayati raj system, a step towards empowering the women community.

“It was former chief minister Biju Babu who had increased the representation of women in the panchayati raj institution. But now the government is trying to scrap the Mission Shakti, an initiative that aims to empower women both politically and economically. The state did not observe his birthday as Panchayati Raj Divas, keeping the political interests into consideration,” Naveen said.

Naveen added that this government is spending crores of rupees for its propaganda but only giving ₹27 per day to women under the Subhadra Yojana and trying to take credit for it. “The women and the mothers will not get any benefit from the Subhadra scheme. The women cannot even buy a litre of milk with ₹27,” said Naveen. He urged women to oppose the BJP government’s attempt to create an illusion in the name of the Subhadra scheme.

Naveen’s statement came on the day when Majhi disbursed ₹5,000 each to more than a crore women under its much-hyped Subhadra scheme.

Hitting back at Naveen, Majhi said: “What has the previous government done for women in the last 24 years? They are not able to digest what we did for women. The decision to implement the Subhadra Yojana was taken in 24 minutes. The BJD government remained confined to slogans, while his government has reached out to more than a crore women in just nine months.”

Majhi reminded people how his government planned to create 25 lakh “Lakhpati Didis” by 2027. He said his government has come out with a scheme to organise weddings of girls from poor families. “Subhadra Yojana is a step towards empowering women and bringing prosperity to them,” he reminded people.

The chief minister added: “They are yet to digest what we did in the last nine months. They were unable to give the right price towards purchasing the paddies under MSP to the farmers but within 24 minutes we decided to give an extra ₹800 under MSP.”

On social media platform also, both the leaders projected themselves as the champion of women causes. In his X post, Majhi said: “Women are the backbone of our society, shaping our future with their strength, wisdom, and determination. On #InternationalWomensDay, let’s celebrate the unwavering spirit, resilience, and achievements of women across #Odisha and beyond. Let us all pledge to build a more inclusive, equitable, and progressive society where every woman can dream, achieve, and lead.”

Similarly, Patnaik in a post on X said: “#WomenEmpowerment has always remained at the centre of all our initiatives and #Odisha is a pioneer in empowering women through initiatives like #MissionShakti, #MAMATA and #GenderBudget. On #WomensDay, let’s celebrate women’s leadership everywhere and ensure a greater role of women in society and the highest decision-making bodies.”

Congress workers observed International Women’s Day by covering their mouths with black bands as a mark of protest against growing atrocities on women. Congress chief Bhakta Charan Das said crime against women is on the rise. “The party will organise rallies in the district headquarters on March 10 on the issue of rising atrocities against women,” said Das.

Additional reporting by PTI