Odisha: 6 Months in Power, ‘Double-Engine’ BJP Govt Looks Button-Holed

The past six months have been very trying for Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi. For the first Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) Chief Minister in the state, it has been one step forward, two steps backward. Is Majhi taking the state to the past or worse?

Accolades and allegations have been running simultaneously in the past six months of the new government.

The signature slogan that placed BJP in the seat of power was “women’s empowerment” under the banner of the Subhadra Yojana to give direct cash benefits.

Before one assesses the success or failure of the scheme, let’s take a cursory glance at the details of the eligibility criteria that would help transact the implementation of the scheme.

Majhi had announced the implementation of the Subhadra Yojna that would give direct benefit to one crore women of Rs.50,000 over five years.

The scheme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 17, his birthday.

“We will introduce Subhadra Yojana, under which every woman will receive a cash voucher of Rs 50,000, which can be encashed over two years,” the Chief Minister had said. After the first Cabinet meeting of the new BJP government in June, he announced its roll out within 100 days.

But critics hold a different view. They feel that at first glance, the scheme appears rosy as all women are aimed to benefit from the scheme.

But the flip side is that this may not be the case, as the revised eligibility criteria has fixed the age bracket of beneficiaries between 21 and 60 years, and has also increased the period from two years to five.

Initially, it appeared that all women would get the bonanza. However, that is not the case. The revised eligibility criteria are proving to be a dampener.

The others excluded in the revised criteria include those receiving financial aid of Rs. 1,500 per month or more than Rs. 18,000 per annum under any government scheme, those filing income tax, owners of more than 5 acres of irrigated land, elected members of Assembly or local bodies, and owners of four-wheelers, except tractor, and other small light goods vehicles.

This has become an issue that the Opposition parties have been raising in the House and outside. The Assembly session saw disruptions as the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and Congress disrupted proceedings last Monday alleging that women were being cheated by the Majhi government.

BJD chief whip Pramilla Mallick said the new criteria would exclude a majority of women. “The BJP had promised Rs. 50,000 over two years, but they will get Rs.10,000 in two instalments,” senior Congress leader Taraprasad Bahinipati said.

Meanwhile, a list of 2.67 lakh women who were turned down under the scheme has been distributed in each block. Approximately five lakh women have been denied the Subhadra benefit because their Aadhaar cards are not linked to their bank accounts.

In addition, a huge number of women failed to obtain the first benefit due to server problems, which resulted in re-applications by them.

On the other hand, the BJP dispensation, as alleged by BJD, has literally undone the Mission Shakti scheme of the previous BJD government, as 70 lakh women have been deprived of the monetary benefits for the past six months.

“It is unfortunate that the BJP government in Odisha has pushed Mission Shakti to the wall taking away 70 lakh women’s sustenance in last six months,” alleged former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, adding that “BJD would fight for the women nevertheless”.    

“The ambiguity is so high that it can puzzle any analyst. The ruling apparatus is giving statements which are further creating confusion. It is clearly an attempt to obfuscate the implementation process,” Rabi Das, senior journalist and political commentator, told this writer.

The other promise made by the BJP government was regarding farmers. The “double engine” government had committed to enhance the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for paddy. Pending that, it had announced a bonus of Rs 800 to each farmer. But to the disappointment of farmers, millers were stopped from entering the mandis.  

On the inflation issue, as anywhere else, lassan (garlic) prices are touching the sky, potatoes and onions have become luxury items. There seems to be no mechanism to put any check on the prices of essential commodities.

While taking oath as Chief Minister six months ago, Majhi has, as on date, not made a single visit to the capital city, which is in an abject condition as far as civic facilities are concerned.

“Instead, he (CM) air dashes to Delhi every fortnight”, commented Das.

During his tenure as Chief Minister, BJD’s  Patnaik had made Odisha a sports destination by organising two Hockey World Cups, besides a world class International Junior Football tournament. A world class badminton stadium had also been built. The present Majhi dispensation, however, seems busy only painting saffron colour in the state, but not able to dispense with the green (BJD) colour altogether, say critics, terming his tenure so far as a “failure”.

The past six months under Majhi’s rule show that the Chief Minister is under tremendous pressure and has nothing in his lexicon as defiance, hence everything is being left to the whims of some people who are building up a propaganda for PM Modi with Majhi as a mere mascot, say critics.   

“After all, Mohan Charan Majhi has been installed to govern, but even if he wants to do something, he cannot firewall himself from what his saffron master thinks”, said Das, adding that “six months is a very short stint to assess the role of a man”.   

The writer is a freelance journalist based in Odisha.