A year is a significant marker in a new government’s journey. For the BJP government in Odisha, the first 365 days have been nothing short of eventful. After receiving a historic mandate, the saffron party surprised everyone with its choice of chief minister to lead its first-ever government in the state. Since then, Mohan Charan Majhi has moved from being a relative outsider to deftly navigating the corridors of power.
That the chief minister has been able to overcome the enormity of the responsibility with a rather inexperienced cabinet— barring K V Singh Deo, one of the two deputy CMs—has not gone unnoticed. An initial awkwardness has slowly given way to assertion. Majhi has travelled extensively across the state, met thousands of people and burnt the midnight oil to establish himself in the hot seat.
His party rode to power on a flurry of promises including restoring Odia asmita or identity, reducing corruption, loosening the bureaucracy’s stranglehold, and improving the pace of development. It has fulfilled some major promises by providing an input subsidy of Rs 800 to paddy farmers, launching the Subhadra Yojana for women, and pursuing a vigorous industrialisation drive.
Majhi also restored the public grievance system and brought the government closer to the people. There has been a discernible change in functioning with the CM seen as calling the shots.
With such noteworthy achievements, the Majhi government has planned massive celebrations for its first anniversary. Yet, several worries linger. It is not lost on anyone that governance has slowed down, with low budgetary spending and stalling of key projects. There is a lack of visible development work on the ground.
The CM’s note on the tardy movement of crucial files at the top level is, in itself, an admission of the state of affairs. Several ministers have added to the confusion by speaking out of turn on key issues. Law and order has been hit with a spurt in serious crimes.
The Nepali students’ issue at a private university, which snowballed into a diplomatic embarrassment, is a pointer to the government’s failure in handling crises. Majhi has done a fine job in fulfilling promises and building his brand in the first year. It’s now time to shift focus to delivering governance. The honeymoon is over.