BJD Stages Massive Protest over 'Curtailment' of Powers of PRI Members
The face-off, as experts viewed, highlighted the sharpening political battle between the BJP and BJD in Odisha, with grassroots governance emerging as a flashpoint ahead of future electoral contests.
Bhubaneswar: The Opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Tuesday staged a massive demonstration in Bhubaneswar alleging that the ruling BJP government in Odisha is curtailing the powers of elected representatives under the Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI) system.
Thousands of party workers, sarpanches, ward members, and Zilla Parishad representatives from all 314 blocks of the state marched to gherao the Assembly. Tension flared at Lower PMG when protesters breached two police barricades, leading to scuffles with security forces. Police deployed water cannons and later detained several BJD leaders and workers to restore order.
Holding banners and shouting slogans, demonstrators accused the BJP of “murdering democracy” and attempting to weaken grassroots governance. Senior BJD leaders addressed the gathering, terming the government’s move an attack on Odisha’s long legacy of Panchayati Raj empowerment.
Speaking to the media, BJD leader Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak recalled that former Chief Minister Biju Patnaik pioneered the Panchayati Raj system in the state, which was further strengthened by Naveen Patnaik.
“The BJP is conspiring to strip elected representatives of their authority, reducing them to mere signatories while shifting powers to corrupt officials. Elsewhere we hear of vote theft, but here in Odisha the BJP is stealing the powers of people’s representatives,” he alleged.
The BJP, however, dismissed the charges. MLA Irasis Acharya countered that the government had not curtailed the authority of PRI representatives but had “put an end to the 40 percentage culture that was started and nourished under the BJD rule.”
He insisted the Mohan Majhi administration was committed to strengthening grassroots institutions.
The controversy stems from the state Cabinet’s September 10 decision to raise the financial authority of Block Development Officers (BDOs, allowing them to approve bills up to Rs 10 lakh without countersignature from elected representatives. Similarly, the powers of Chief Development Officers-cum-Executive Officers in Zilla Parishads were expanded, triggering Opposition fears of bureaucratic dominance over elected bodies.
The face-off, as experts viewed, highlighted the sharpening political battle between the BJP and BJD in Odisha, with grassroots governance emerging as a flashpoint ahead of future electoral contests.