Bhubaneswar, March 7 -- Members of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) staged a protest outside the Odisha Assembly on Friday against the state government's decision to change the date of Panchayati Raj Diwas from March 5 to April 24.

The state's BJP government on Monday said that it will observe March 5 as the former CM's birth anniversary and not as 'Panchayati Raj Day,' as has been celebrated for decades. Further, there would be no government holiday on March 5, according to a statement from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO).

Though March 5 has been celebrated as 'Panchayati Raj Divas' in Odisha every year, this time, the day will be observed on April 24, in alignment with the national observance, it said.

"Odisha Government will no more obse...