Odisha: Mohan Majhi Govt Celebrates 'Pompous' 1st Anniversary as People Teeter in Despondency

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Odisha will complete one year on June 12.

Coming from a humble background and then traversing through a phase of combative political adversities, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has in a way straddled through the stint while many invisible foes were active in describing him as a “weak-kneed” person for the post.

Before dealing with issues such as his achievements, failures and unfinished tasks, as promised; let’s focus on the euphoria being generated by him among the people.

The Euphoria

The BJP government in Odisha, under Chief Minister Majhi, has been trying to make its first anniversary a grand event since Thursday last by mostly underscoring  its achievements during the first year under the stewardship of none other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is likely to be in the state capital, Bhubaneswar, going by the chatter in the party grapevine.

The plan is to host high-profile events, such as cultural extravaganzas alongside development initiatives during the past one year relating to people’s welfare.

Plans are afoot for a wider outreach in all the 314 blocks in saffron-branded vehicles, like media platforms do to create a public perception.        

The Majhi government’s event kick-started from June 5-19, magnifying the government’s achievements and raising awareness among people about key governance reforms, flagship schemes and public service delivery initiatives.

However, some critics are quick to call the ostentations as a back-filling for a newly built house wall to cease sediment erosion with time.

“Why such a haste after one year? It shows that it is mainly the complex factors within the Majhi dispensation that is trying to paper over some cracks through flamboyance before many things materialise relating to the larger mass of people”, Kameswar Rao, a senior journalist and political analyst, told this writer.

“What could be the justification for elite dinners with corporate bosses, media personnel and their owners, civil society members and legislators and members of Parliament?”, questioned Sumant Mishra, apolitical columnist, adding that “he (Majhi) still claims he is a peoples’ chief minister”.    

On the contrary, throughout the first phase of the year, many were busy acing up their sleeves to play ‘mind games’ in dispiriting the tribal leader, who had never dreamt of ascending to this political height. But Majhi somehow survived the headwinds with the blessings of the Prime Minister.

This was clear in the past seven months when Majhi appeared in all the posters plastered in the city alongside the Prime Minister, regardless of the messages in them. There is no traffic junction, petrol pumps or even prominent squares leading from the airport in the state where both the Chief Minister and Prime Minister do not appear in posters. The days are gone when any other leader can even think of occupying a space in any poster.

It is a Modi-Mohan juxtaposition everywhere and anywhere, sending a signal that either be with us or keep mum, a message for Majhi’s hecklers within and outside the ruling BJP.

What is strikingly similar between Modi and Majhi is the craze for being photographed or photo-ops every day. Majhi’s photographs in events organised in different locations lace the official postings of the CM’s office, numbering about 20 to 40 pictures a day.

"That is a kind of narcissism some people suffer from" said Dr A K Mishra, psychoanalyst. 

Achievements on the Ground

Except some points, such as opening of the Ratna Bhandar (ornament store) in the Puri temple of Lord Jagannath and their ongoing enumeration and re-enumerations, launching of the Subhadra Yojna for women, enhancing the paddy procurement price to Rs 3,100 per quintal, introduction of Ayushman Yojna to sideline Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (although Ayushman is still to be fully effective), Majhi’s outreach through personal visits to many districts has to a great extent absorbed the imperious political heat generated by his detractors.

“That could be described as a means to hide behind optics and escape detailed scrutiny by people on the delivery front, just like his political mentor Modi has an expertise in reaping political benefits from such ribbon- cutting exercises”, noted Rabi Das, senior political analyst.

What has the Majhi government done on the oft-alleged Ponzi scam and the mega mining scam in the state for years? What about the fate of people who had invested with Ponzi scam operators”’, said Das, who has been fighting for the recovery of the invested funds.  

Also, inflation in the state continues to brow-beat the people, reaching new highs, and surpassing the national level inflation at more than 7%.

With inflation consistently high, the Centre had asked Odisha to take action.

Despite the overall cooling trend, Odisha has consistently recorded inflation above 7% for more than eight months between November 2023 and October 2024, a report in the Indian Express said.

Law and Order

According to the National Crime Records Bureau, Odisha has a relatively lower crime rate compared with other states, though some areas, such as cybercrime and crimes against women have shown concerning trends. In 2022, Odisha recorded 1,55,420 cognizable offenses with a crime rate of 339.4 per lakh population. 

The report further disclosed a total of 655 cases of mistreatment, 79 instances of sexual harassment, 20 robberies, 1,509 thefts, 101 riots, and 194 cybercrimes. Authorities also documented 11 obscene videos made and 31 harassment cases against women in March 2025.

The statistics highlight a grim picture, with 111 murders and 149 cases of mistreatment of women reported during the month.

In his statement in the Assembly, the Chief Minister described January 2025 as a month marked by unprecedented crime rates in the state.

Recall that the state hosted two major events – Pravasi Bharatiya Divas and Make in Odisha Conclave – and welcomed visits from both the Prime Minister and the President during this period. Despite these significant events, the crime rates escalated to record levels.

Changing Colours

One thing that played itself up is the changing of colours in a bid to obliterate the vestiges of the erstwhile Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government’s 24-year rule.

All the roadside walls and many official buildings were painted saffron. What is more unacceptable was the removal of pictures of national and state-level celebrities in different fields that always made commuters curious about learning a thing or two.

“That was like a significant erosion of a siege mentality in politics. The pictures on display had no shades of any politics at all. Their deletion rather exposes the prevalent intellectual dishonesty of the saffron brigade” observed Ritik Pramanik, an author and commentator.

The writer is a freelance journalist based in Odisha with over 40 years of experience in the profession.