New Delhi, Dec 13 (LatestNewsX) – On Saturday, Naveen Patnaik, who heads the Odisha Assembly’s Leader of Opposition bloc and fronts the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), announced that he would decline the recently raised salary and perks tied to the LoP position. Instead, he asked that those funds be redirected toward schemes that help the state’s most vulnerable.
Patnaik sent a heartfelt letter to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, thanking Odisha’s citizens for the support he has received over a quarter‑century in public life. The former chief minister expressed deep gratitude for the affection and trust that the people have shown him—and, as he noted, to his late father, former chief minister Biju Patnaik.
“I have been blessed by the love, affection and support of the people of Odisha for more than 25 years. I am highly indebted to them and to their love for me and my late father,” he wrote.
Recalling a 2015 decision by his family to donate their ancestral home, Anand Bhawan in Cuttack, to public use, Patnaik said his latest gesture follows the same spirit of service.
He clarified that he will not accept the salary hike recently sanctioned for the Leader of Opposition by the state legislature. Patnaik urged the chief minister to ensure the money he relinquishes goes into programs aimed at uplifting the under‑privileged.
The Odisha Assembly had just approved a sizable increase in salaries and allowances for all legislators, ministers and constitutional office holders, lifting the Leader of Opposition’s monthly emoluments to about Rs 3.62 lakh. The move has sparked debate, with critics pointing to the three‑fold rise in lawmakers’ pay.
Under the new rule, an MLA’s basic salary jumps from Rs 35,000 to Rs 90,000, plus a sumptuary allowance that rises from Rs 40,000 to Rs 98,000 per month. The chief minister’s take rises to roughly Rs 3.74 lakh a month (Rs 1 lakh base, Rs 1.83 lakh allowance, plus Rs 91,000 for car expenses). Other high‑ranking officials earn between Rs 3.50 lakh and Rs 3.68 lakh, depending on their post.
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