Bhubaneswar, Dec 19 (IANS) The main opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Friday urged Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to reconsider the recent hike in salaries and allowances of MLAs, ministers, the Chief Minister, and the Speaker, a day after BJP legislators made a similar appeal.

Speaking at a press conference held at the party headquarters here on Friday, BJD’s chief whip in the Odisha Assembly, Pramila Mallik, said, “Although we extended support to the legislation regarding the enhancement of salaries and pensions of MLAs and former MLAs passed in the Assembly on December 9, following the directions of our dear leader and former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, we, on behalf of the BJD, urge the Chief Minister to reconsider the legislation and respect public opinion.”

She also claimed that the BJD president, who always gives due respect to public opinion, has never drawn his salary since he entered politics. The BJD leader expressed hope that the state government would take appropriate steps in this regard, keeping in view public opinion.

BJD supremo Patnaik had earlier announced that he would forgo the recently increased salary and allowances attached to the LoP’s post, asking that the amount instead be used for the welfare of the poor.

It is worth noting that the Odisha Assembly recently passed four Bills without any dissenting voice, significantly enhancing the salaries and allowances of MLAs, as well as those of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker, ministers, the Leader of the Opposition, and the Chief Minister. With the revision of salaries and pensions, Odisha’s MLAs also joined the ranks of the highest-paid legislators in the country. This move sparked a major debate in the state, drawing criticism from people from all walks of life.

Following massive public backlash across the state and the reported ire of the central leadership, the ruling BJP was prompted to reconsider the decision.

On Thursday, following a closed-door meeting of BJP MLAs and ministers in the presence of CM Majhi and BJP state president Manmohan Samal at the party’s state office here, all the party legislators passed a resolution urging CM Majhi to reconsider the legislation cleared during the last Assembly session to hike the pensions and salaries of sitting and former legislators.

–IANS

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