India, Sept. 23 -- Odisha's opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Tuesday staged a demonstration against what it described as "systematic disempowerment" of the panchayat samiti chairpersons and accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government of undermining the three-tier panchayati raj system in the state.

Hundreds of BJD workers, party-supported sarpanches, ward members, Panchayat Samiti and Zilla Parishad members from 314 blocks in the state, along with party leaders clashed with the security personnel during the protest.

Senior BJD leader Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak stated that the people are aware that the late Biju Patnaik played a pioneering role in empowering people's representatives through the panchayati raj system. "This system ...