Bhubaneswar, Dec. 19 -- Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators of Odisha on Thursday requested chief minister Mohan Majhi to reconsider the controversial 211% hike in MLAs' salaries and allowances, acknowledging the need to respect popular sentiment over a decision that has made the state's lawmakers the highest-paid in the country. The issue was raised during a BJP Legislature Party meeting at the party's state headquarters. "We had a detailed discussion on the proposed salary hike and allowances of the current and former lawmakers in the House. Showing due respect to the sentiments of the people, all the lawmakers of the BJP have requested CM Mohan Majhi to reconsider the decision," state's parliamentary affairs minister Mukesh Mahaling said. BJP MLAs submitted a written petition urging the CM to review the four bills passed in the Odisha assembly on December 9, which enhanced salaries and allowances of legislators, speaker, deputy speaker, CM, deputy CMs and ministers. Last week, 4 separate bills were passed without a single dissenting voice that increased monthly emoluments of MLAs from Rs.1.11 lakh to Rs.3.45 lakh, that of CMs from Rs.98,000 to Rs.3.74 lakh, of ministers from Rs.97,000 to Rs.3.58 lakh and speakers from Rs.97,500 to Rs.3.68 lakh effective retrospectively from June 2024. Incidentally, not a single MLA, including leader of opposition Naveen Patnaik, opposed the pay hike though the former CM later wrote a letter to Majhi wishing to forego his enhanced salary, and use it for the welfare of poor....