Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Sunday strongly defended his government’s financial management in the Assembly, calling the Opposition’s allegations on fiscal mismanagement “completely baseless” and asserting that Odisha has the best economic management among all states in the country.
Replying to the debate on the Supplementary Budget, the Chief Minister said that as of October 2025, Odisha’s per capita debt stands at only Rs 26,978 — among the lowest in the country. “We have never put the state’s financial health in the ICU by reckless spending,” he said.
In a sharp personal attack on the Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Majhi questioned his absence from the House. “The Leader of Opposition does not have the patience to sit in the House even for two minutes. The session has been on for nine days, but how many days has he attended? How much time has he spent here? How many issues has he raised against the government inside the House?” the CM asked.
He accused the BJD members of walking out the moment he started replying and said, “They have no patience and no interest in running the House for longer hours.” In a sarcastic jibe, Majhi added, “They can spend six hours campaigning in Nuapada, but cannot spare time for the Assembly. Posting on ‘X’ won’t bring development.”
The Chief Minister announced that the government will provide more than 65,000 government jobs in the coming days with complete transparency in recruitment. “We are bringing a new policy to ensure fair and transparent examinations,” he said.
Highlighting achievements in the farm sector, Majhi claimed that a farmer family is now getting nearly Rs 58,000 annually through various schemes, including PM-KISAN, state input assistance and Subhadra Yojana — a sharp contrast to the BJD era when Odisha ranked second from bottom in farmers’ income.
He also promised world-class education through the Godabarish Mishra Adarsha Prathamik Vidyalaya scheme and implementation of the National Education Policy, 100% electrification, drinking water and road connectivity under Mission Paani, Bijuli and Rasta.
Taking a dig at the previous BJD regime’s much-publicised school transformation programme, Majhi said, “We will not just paint school walls and claim world-class education. We will bring real transformation.”
The Chief Minister concluded by saying that his government inherited several underdeveloped pockets where even ambulances could not reach and children still study under kerosene lamps in some villages. “That was their model of development for 24 years; we don’t want that kind of development,” he remarked amid the thumping of desks by ruling BJP members.
