BJP manifesto 'scripture' for me says Majhi as his govt completes 100 days in office

    Puri, Sep 19 (PTI) As Odisha's first BJP government completed 100 days in office on Thursday, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said the party's election manifesto is a "scripture" for him and his administration has fulfilled the promises made to the people.
    Majhi, a tribal leader from Keonjhar district and a four-time MLA, assumed office on June 12, after the BJP dethroned the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD after 24 years.
    Addressing a huge gathering here, Majhi slammed the previous BJD government claiming that the people of Odisha rejected the party in the election for being "anti-people and arrogant".
    "They (BJD) have also indulged in the heinous act of using Lord Jagannath's name for petty political gains," the chief minister said, without elaborating.
    The last election has proved that the people do not tolerate a government that maintained distance from them and their problems, he said.
    "Our party was elected by the blessings and support of the people. During campaigning, our top leaders have promised to carry out some work. During the last 100 days, we have fulfilled many such tasks. Our manifesto is a scripture for me," Majhi said.
    Odisha's first BJP chief minister said that he has been listening to people's problems by regularly holding grievance meetings and a large number of issues were addressed.
    Though such meetings are now being held in the state capital Bhubaneswar, the government has planned to hold such sessions in various regions of the state, Majhi said.
    "We also do not need a certificate from any private organisation to beat the drums of the government. It is the people who will give the certificate to the BJP government," he said.
    On the achievements of his government during the last 100 days, Majhi said that in the first cabinet meeting, it was decided to open all four gates of Lord Jagannath Temple in Puri and reopen the Ratna Bhandar (treasury).
    "These two promises were immediately met. The state government has also set up a Rs 500 crore corpus fund for Shree Jagannath Temple," he said, adding that another Rs 200 crore corpus fund was created for upholding 'Odia Asmita' (pride), its Swabhiman (self-esteem) and language.
    Apart from these, Majhi said, as promised in the election manifesto, the state government has already made provision of providing Rs 3,100 per quintal as the MSP of paddy.
    The government has made a budgetary allocation of Rs 5,000 crore for the purpose and farmers will get the amount over their paddy sale. The state has also launched the CM-Kisan scheme for farmers, who will get financial assistance along with the PM-Samman Nidhi scheme.
    The chief minister said that his government has also launched the "biggest ever" women-centric scheme, Subhadra Yojana, under which each beneficiary will get Rs 50,000 over a period of five years.
    "This is assistance and not a loan. The women need not return the money, but could utilise the amount in becoming self-sufficient," he said.
    Accusing the previous BJD regime of depriving health benefits to the people of Odisha due to its "ego", Majhi said his government was all set to implement the Ayushman Bharat scheme so that people can avail free treatment in 27,000 hospitals in and outside the state.
    Reacting to the CM calling the previous BJD government as "anti-people and arrogant", the opposition BJD hit back dubbing the present BJP dispensation as "failed".
    Addressing a press conference here, BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty alleged that the law and order in the state has collapsed during 100 days of the BJP government, citing the incident of alleged assault on an army officer and his woman friend at a police station in Bhubaneswar as a "glaring example of lawlessness".
    "If this is the situation in the state capital, what about the remaining parts of the state?" Mohanty asked.
    The BJP came to power by giving 'Odia Asmita' (pride) slogan but the present government has appointed two non-Odias as the chief secretary and DGP of the state.
    Mohanty alleged that the BJP government, during its 100 days, has failed to bring any new industry to Odisha while a major corporate house withdrew its project from the state.
    He claimed that Odisha's development had reach its peak during the BJD government led by Naveen Patnaik.
    Senior BJD leader and party's vice-president Debi Prasad Mishra alleged that the BJP has failed to keep its promises given to people during the assembly elections this year.
    Ridiculing the BJP government's 100 days celebration, Mishra said that "there was no problem if they observed a festival every day but the BJP should keep its promises made to the people".
    The double-engine government should be used for the benefit of the state, Mishra added.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)