Bhubaneswar: BJD leader Manmath Routray Tuesday lodged two police complaints against Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, even as he himself faces cases for allegedly making defamatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the CM, officials said.
Routray, who contested the 2024 Lok Sabha polls from Bhubaneswar, filed the complaints at the Capital Police Station.
Police confirmed receipt of the complaints but said no case has yet been registered against Majhi, who also holds the home portfolio.
One complaint pertains to a statement attributed to Majhi in February 2025, while the other relates to comments allegedly made during campaigning for the recent Nuapada bypoll.
In his first complaint, Routray accused the chief minister of making “racially derogatory” remarks about tribal women.
“He (CM) stated that girls in his own community in Keonjhar possessed dark skin and, as a result, he had to search for a bride in Mayurbhanj due to his preference for marrying a fair-skinned girl. This statement explicitly discriminates on the basis of skin colour and is deeply offensive,” Routray wrote in the complaint.
He claimed such remarks from a person holding a constitutional office amounted to racial discrimination.
“Despite coming from an underprivileged community himself, his public comment about the skin complexion of girls perpetuates harmful stereotypes,” he alleged, seeking legal action.
In the second complaint, Routray accused Majhi of using an “obscene slang word” in a public meeting during the Nuapada bypoll campaign.
“The utterance of this word in any context in a public place constitutes a criminal offence. The same speech was recorded and circulated on social media. It was a deliberate act and was consciously circulated to demean a community which has contributed to the heritage of our country,” he claimed.
Routray further alleged that the remark insulted the ancient Pandya dynasty of Tamil Nadu, and urged the police to initiate appropriate legal action.
The Chief Minister’s Office has not yet reacted to the complaints.
On November 28, the cyber police station here had registered a case against Routray under various sections of the BNS and the Information Technology Act based on a complaint filed by BJP leader Jayant Kumar Jena.
He was accused of making defamatory comments against the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister during the Nuapada bypoll campaign.
