Buckling under massive public resentment over the proposed 200% salary hike for lawmakers, Bharatiya Janata Party MLAs have urged Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to reconsider the proposal and hold a fresh discussion on the issue.
The issue of lawmakers’ salary hike and widespread criticism from people were discussed in a meeting attended by Chief Minister Mohan Majhi, Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida, Ministers, MLAs and senior party office bearers including president Manmohan Samal and General Secretary (Organisation) Manas Kumar Mahanty, in BJP office here on Thursday.
Emerging from the meeting, State Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Mahaling said, “we had discussion on passage of a bill concerning to revision of salary of MLAs and pension of former MLAs. Respecting people’s opinion, all BJP MLAs, through signed memorandum, have urged CM to reconsider and schedule a debate on the issue again.”
The revision of MLAs’ salaries appears to have dented the image of the 18-month-old Mohan Majhi government. The proposed hike of over 200% would place Odisha’s legislators ahead of their counterparts in all other States, a message that reportedly did not go down well with the BJP’s central leadership.
