Bhubaneswar, 23 September (IANS) activists and opposition party leaders and leaders on Tuesday staged a massive protest about the Panchayati Raj powers in Odisha.
He was engaged in a scuffle with the police in the lower PMG of Bhuvane, in front of the state assembly in front of the state assembly to protest the alleged efforts of the Odisha government to limit the powers of elected representatives under Panchayati Raj Institutions.
Hundreds of BJD workers, the party supported 314 blocks in Odisha, members of the ward, Panchayat Samiti and District Council members along with party leaders and supported the two barricades made by the police by colliding with party leaders.
Protesters with banners and placards were seen raising anti-government slogans, alleging killing the ruling BJP and the killing of the Panchayati Raj system in Odisha.
The Commissioner Police also used water cannons to disperse the protesters.
Later, several BJD workers and leaders were also detained by the commission police to bring the situation under control.
Earlier, senior BJD leaders addressed party members on various ‘anti -people’ decisions of the Odisha government.
Talking to media individuals, senior BJD leader Attu Sabyasachi Nayak said, “The people of Odisha know that the late Biju Patnaik played a leading role in empowering the representatives of the people through the Panchayati Raj system. The system was further strengthened by our leader Neven Patnaik.
“However, the current BJP -led government is plotting to strip elected representatives of its powers, reducing them only on paper.”
“A conspiracy has been designed to move corrupt officials to the authority vested in the representatives of the people. The whole country has heard of ‘Vote Chori’, but here in Odisha, the BJP is engaged in theft of the powers of the elected representatives. In protest against this conspiracy, the BJP has taken the streets,” said Nyak.
Meanwhile, BJP MLA Irasis Acharya denied the allegations of the opposition, saying that the powers of representatives of the people have not been closed under the PRI system.
Instead, he said, the government has abolished ‘percentage culture’. He further said that the government is actually strengthening the system.
It is worth noting that the State Cabinet approved the proposal to increase the financial power of Block Development Officers in Panchayat Summites (Block) on 10 September, which to pass a bill of up to Rs 10 lakh without the counters ahead of the elected representatives.
The state government also expanded the administrative powers contained in the district councils in the Chief Development Officer-cum-TACT officer.
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Knowledge/Red