Karnataka: Special legislature session to demand MGNREGA restoration

Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced on Thursday that a two-day special session of the legislature would be convened soon to pass a resolution demanding the restoration of the UPA’s flagship Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

Addressing a meeting of Congress legislators, Siddaramaiah alleged that the BJP-led Union government was attempting to scrap MGNREGA, a scheme introduced during the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government.

He said the programme was designed to generate employment in rural areas by guaranteeing 100 days of work annually to the rural poor, particularly Dalits, women and farmers.

“The BJP-ruled Centre is denying the poor their right to employment. By removing Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the new scheme,
VB-G RAM G, the Centre is deliberately creating confusion. The BJP is killing Mahatma Gandhi a second time,” the chief minister alleged, adding that the Sangh Parivar had “tutored” the BJP. Siddaramaiah further claimed that the Sangh Parivar could not tolerate the empowerment of the poor and that scrapping MGNREGA would cause injustice to nearly 28 crore Dalits who depended on the scheme for their livelihood.

He called upon Congress leaders and workers to launch a strong struggle against the move. Exhorting party legislators, he said a mass movement should be initiated to ensure the re-implementation of the MGNREGA Act. “Every gram panchayat member should reach out to NREGA workers. Legislators must create awareness among the people, turning this into a people’s movement,” he said.

Earlier, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar alleged that the new Act was difficult to implement, as decision-making powers had shifted from panchayats to
Delhi and the states were expected to bear 40 per cent of the funding.

“We will hold a 5 km padayatra in each taluk from January 26 to February 2. National leaders will also participate in these padayatra,” he said, and added, “The ministers will hold press conferences at the district headquarters for three days. Awareness campaigns will be held in each panchayat.”