Bhubaneswar: A day after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators appealed to Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to reconsider the hike in salaries and allowances of lawmakers, MLAs of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) today made a similar demand, citing public discontent.

The BJD MLAs met the CM and urged him to review the recent decision to substantially increase the salary of the elected representatives. They said the move has triggered dissatisfaction among the people of the state.

Earlier, MLAs of the ruling BJP had submitted a written petition to the Chief Minister, requesting a reconsideration of the Bills passed in the Odisha Assembly on December 9.

The issue has also drawn a response from the Leader of the Opposition and BJD president Naveen Patnaik. He has announced that he would forgo the enhanced salary and allowances, and urged the Chief Minister to use the extra funds for the welfare of poor people in the state.

The Odisha Assembly had unanimously passed four amendment Bills that raised the total monthly remuneration of an MLA from around Rs 1.11 lakh to about Rs 3.45 lakh.

With lawmakers across party lines now urging a review, pressure is mounting on the state government to reconsider the decision in view of public sentiment.