The Mohan Majhi government, the first-ever BJP government in Odisha, on Thursday celebrated the completion of its 100 days in power with a commitment to fulfil the promises the party made in its election manifesto.

A mammoth public meeting was organised at Puri, the spiritual nerve centre of the state, to mark the occasion. The choice of Puri seems to be deliberate as the BJP has been trying to promote the Jagannath culture with an eye on the Hindu vote bank.

During the election campaign, the BJP had accused the Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal (BJD) of failing to protect and promote the Jagannath cult and also played up the issue of the missing keys of the Ratna Bhandar (the treasure trove) of the 12th century Jagannath temple which is linked to the psyche of Odias. The party had also criticised the BJD government for not opening all four gates of the shrine for the entry of the devotees, causing chaos.

Addressing the rally in Puri, chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi made it clear that the party’s election manifesto was sacrosanct for him like scriptures and his government would do everything to fulfil the promises it had made to the people.

Majhi targeted the BJD saying the Naveen Patnaik government had distanced itself from the people but in sharp contrast, his government was working round the clock for the people. “We don’t need a certificate from any private organisation to prove what we are doing. We have the blessings of the people. We are here to fulfil the expectations of people. It’s the people who will give the certificate of efficiency to the BJP government,” he said.

Majhi also listed the achievements of his government. “In our first cabinet, we decided to open all the four gates of the Jagannath temple in Puri and reopen the Ratna Bhandar. These two promises were fulfilled immediately.”

The chief minister also pointed out that his government created a ₹500 crore corpus fund for the development, conservation, and preservation of the Jagannath temple and the promotion of Jagannath culture. He also said that ₹200 crore had been earmarked for promoting Odia Asmita (pride) and Swabhiman (self-esteem). The party promised to make Odisha a developed state by 2036 when the state would celebrate its 100 years of statehood.

Majhi also criticised the previous BJD government for objecting to the implementation of the Centre’s flagship health scheme, the Ayushman Bharat Yojana. The chief minister said his government was working towards fulfilling its promises of giving ₹3,100 as the minimum support price (MSP) for one quintal paddy to the farmers.

He also highlighted how it had rolled out the Subhadra scheme, under which ₹50,000 would be given to nearly one crore women in five years. A sum of ₹10,000 would be credited to the accounts of women in two instalments of ₹5,000 each. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the programme and ₹5,000 each was credited to the accounts of nearly 25 lakh women.