Was asked to get out of police station month before I became Odisha CM, says Mohan Majhi

Majhi, a four-time MLA from Keonjhar, said: “When I reached the police station to resolve the issue and to clear the road blockade, the inspector fumed at me and asked me to get out. Who pressured the officers to tell a sitting MLA to get out”.

He claimed to have staged a sit-in outside the police station because of “the humiliation”.

“With the blessings of Lord Jagannath, I became the CM a month later. You could imagine the inspector’s situation afterwards. But I forgave him believing he acted under pressure,” the CM said.

He also recounted a time when President of India Droupadi Murmu, then a minister in Odisha’s Biju Janata Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) coalition government, visited Keonjhar with a Union cabinet minister.

Significantly, Murmu, a tribal leader from Uparbeda village in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district, had been a minister in the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD-BJP government from 2000 to 2004, first serving as minister of state with independent charge for commerce and transportation from 6 March 2000 to 6 August 2002, and fisheries and animal resources development from 6 August 2002 to 16 May 2004.

“When the then district collector reached the place, he only greeted the Union Cabinet but didn’t give basic respect to the state’s minister (Murmu). Although he realised later that she was a minister, the collector neither greeted her nor apologised for the behaviour. That minister now became the first citizen of India,” said Majhi.

Majhi also expressed concern over officers overstaying in specific posts during the tenure of the previous government.

“An officer should stay in a specific post for a maximum of 3-4 years. There are instances when officers have been serving in the same place for over 15-20 years. You need to identify such officers and ensure their regular transfer,” he said.

There would be no compromise with corruption, he said, adding: “This is as clear a message as possible from me”.