Bengaluru, Jan 27 (NationPress) A group of leaders from the ruling Congress party in Karnataka, including Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, AICC General Secretary and Karnataka Incharge Randeep Singh Surjewala, and other key figures convened with Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot on Tuesday. They presented a memorandum advocating for the reinstatement of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

The party has expressed strong opposition to the introduction of the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G).

Earlier, during a significant protest and ‘Raj Bhavan Chalo’ initiative led by the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) at Freedom Park in Bengaluru, part of the ‘MNREGA Bachao Sangram’, CM Siddaramaiah asserted that the Congress party is against the central government’s anti-people policies. He vowed that protests would persist until the VB-G RAM G scheme was revoked and MGNREGA was completely restored.

Siddaramaiah accused the BJP of deliberately abolishing MGNREGA and replacing it with the VB-G RAM G scheme.

He highlighted that MGNREGA was initiated in 2005 during Manmohan Singh's tenure as Prime Minister.

“Laws centering on the Right to Food, Right to Work, Right to Education, Right to Information, and the Forest Rights Act were all designed to benefit the populace during Congress administrations. The Congress has consistently prioritized the needs of women, Dalits, Backward Classes, minorities, and small farmers,” he stated.

He claimed that the BJP is dismantling these essential programs, leaving rural communities without job opportunities. “Approximately 53% of MGNREGA workers were women, 28% were from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, and around five lakh individuals with disabilities worked as wage laborers. MGNREGA guaranteed employment for everyone,” he noted.

Siddaramaiah emphasized, “With MGNREGA, women, Dalits, backward classes, minorities, and small farmers could request work any day of the year. Previously, local gram sabhas and gram panchayats determined the types of work. Now, work for rural poor is dictated from Delhi instead of local bodies.”

He indicated that not all gram panchayats could provide job opportunities for wage laborers. “MGNREGA guaranteed 100 days of employment. The right to work is a constitutional right for the poor, but this has been stripped away through VB Gram Ji. Previously, the Centre funded MGNREGA entirely. Now, funding has ceased, and under the new law, states must shoulder 40% of the costs while the Centre only covers 60%,” he elaborated.

Siddaramaiah remarked that many states are suffering due to such detrimental policies imposed by the Centre.

“Consequently, our government and the Congress party oppose these policies. People nationwide must persist in this struggle until the law is annulled and MGNREGA is reinstated. This time, farmers, workers, and women will join the protest in substantial numbers,” he asserted.

The Chief Minister claimed that the VB-G RAM G law fails to protect the rights of the impoverished and suggested that the RSS is behind this initiative. “Their conspiracy aims to hinder the empowerment of the poor and to maintain their subservience. The RSS’ agenda is to entrench inequality in society,” he alleged.

In reference to Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, Siddaramaiah stated that economic and social freedom are crucial for establishing equality in the nation.

Padayatras will be organized across all districts, and the public is encouraged to support the Congress’ mission. “In the upcoming budget, an announcement will be made to rename the offices of 6,000 gram panchayats after Mahatma Gandhi,” the Chief Minister concluded.