Odisha MLAs’ Salary Hike Row: CM Mohan Majhi, Former CM Naveen Patnaik Weigh Options To Defuse Controversy

Bhubaneswar: The controversy triggered by the sharp hike in legislators’ salaries in Odisha appears to be edging towards a face-saving resolution for Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi after days of public outrage and political discomfort cutting across party lines. Signals emerging from the December 18 meeting of BJP MLAs and senior leaders at the party’s state headquarters suggest that the government may be open to a relook, particularly as legislators themselves urged the Chief Minister to reconsider certain components of the hike.

Adding to the pressure, the opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Friday joined calls for a review. The party’s chief whip Pramilla Mallick and deputy chief whip Pratap Dev said that with public opinion turning sharply against the decision, BJD president and former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had asked party MLAs to request CM Majhi to revisit the issue.

The row erupted on December 9, when four amendment Bills revising the salaries and allowances of the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister, Ministers, Speaker, Deputy Speaker and MLAs were tabled and passed in the Assembly within minutes, without substantive debate. In a rare show of unanimity, legislators from the BJP, BJD and Congress voted in favour—an act that soon proved politically costly.

Public backlash was swift, with social media emerging as the main arena of criticism, targeting both the ruling party and the Opposition. The discomfort deepened when CPI (M) MLA Laxman Munda publicly stated that he had opposed the Bhaskar Madhei Committee recommendations during deliberations. Naveen Patnaik further sharpened the narrative by announcing that he would donate his enhanced salary for the welfare of the poor.

For the Majhi government, the timing could hardly have been worse. Months of goodwill generated through governance initiatives appeared overshadowed by perceptions of political insensitivity. Comparisons with the previous regime resurfaced, with critics questioning whether a change in government had brought any ethical departure.

Few dispute the need to revise legislators’ pay, which had remained stagnant for years. The controversy, analysts say, lies not in the principle of a hike but in its scale and structure. While the increase in basic salary from Rs 35,000 to Rs 90,000 drew limited resistance, public ire centred on allowances—Rs 10,000 per month for newspapers, Rs 20,000 for electricity, Rs 15,000 for telephone bills and Rs 35,000 as medical allowance.

In an era of e-governance and digital access, critics argue that a newspaper allowance amounting to Rs 1.2 lakh annually is excessive, while electricity and telephone allowances appear disproportionate to current usage costs. The medical allowance, totalling over Rs 4.2 lakh a year, also drew scrutiny, with experts pointing out that comprehensive insurance cover could be secured at a fraction of the cost.

Inter-state comparisons further weakened the government’s case, highlighting the absence of a national benchmark and the need for contextual prudence. Privately, many MLAs acknowledge that public expectations—from social events to constituency visits—are financially draining. However, institutionalising these pressures through inflated allowances risks further erosion of public trust.

Experts believe the current pause offers the Chief Minister a narrow but meaningful exit. A rational restructuring—retaining a reasonable salary hike while pruning impractical allowances—could help restore credibility. Ultimately, political sensitivity and public restraint alike will be essential to prevent such controversies from recurring and to preserve the credibility of democratic institutions.