Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday said West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has not responded to his letter requesting her not to brand the Digha Jagannath Temple as “Jagannath Dham”.

“I had written a letter urging the Bengal chief minister to refrain from branding the Digha Jagannath Temple as Jagannath Dham. However, I have not received any official response from her. From her media statements, it appears the demand has not yet been accepted,” Majhi said at a press conference, held two days ahead of the BJP government’s first anniversary in office.

Majhi said the four dhams were designated by Adi Shankaracharya and no individual or government has the authority to alter them. “She is being arrogant. The people will respond to this refusal and her attempt to brand Digha as ‘Jagannath Dham’,” he said.

On May 6, Majhi had written to Banerjee requesting reconsideration of the use of the “Dham” tag for the Digha temple, stating that “Jagannath Dham” holds a sacrosanct identity uniquely linked to Puri. Using the term elsewhere, he argued, would hurt the sentiments of millions of devotees and dilute the distinct heritage of Puri.

At the press meet, Majhi, joined by state BJP president Manmohan Samal, released a detailed report card of the government’s first year. He said the BJP’s “double-engine” government had focused on welfare and infrastructure and would continue prioritising four key groups: farmers, the poor, women, and youth.

He also announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would visit Odisha on June 20 to attend the BJP government’s first anniversary celebrations. During the visit, Modi is expected to unveil the state’s Vision 2036 plan. “We aim to become a $500 billion economy by 2036 and a $1.5 trillion economy by 2047,” Majhi said.

Listing the government’s achievements, Majhi said: “Out of our 21 poll promises, we have fulfilled 11. These include opening all four gates of the Puri Jagannath Temple, establishing a ₹500-crore corpus for the temple, providing a ₹800 bonus per quintal of paddy to farmers, and disbursing ₹10,000 to women under the Subhadra Yojana in two instalments.”

He added that 17 lakh “Lakhpati Didis” had been created, and the government aims to fill 1.5 lakh vacancies over the next five years. “Whatever we have promised, we have delivered,” he said.

On OBC reservations, the chief minister said the government had already extended 11.25 per cent reservation in education and is working to implement the same in technical education.

Citing the recently concluded Utkarsha Odisha conclave, Majhi said the event attracted investment intentions worth ₹17 lakh crore.

Taking a swipe at the previous BJD government led by Naveen Patnaik, Majhi said, “If there is a strong will, change can happen in 24 minutes; it does not take 24 hours. The barrier between the administration and the people has collapsed. The Chief Minister’s Office now reaches the doorsteps of the people.”

Calling it a “people’s government”, Majhi said, “My simplicity should not be mistaken for weakness. I am committed to transparency and will continue to fight corruption.”