BENGALURU: The Congress, which is against the Centre’s decision of replacing MGNREGA with VB-G RAM G, is likely to name over 6,000 gram panchayats (GPs) in Karnataka after Mahatma Gandhi.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is likely to make an announcement in this regard in his budget, according to sources. This move is based on former MP and KPCC vice-president VS Ugrappa’s suggestion. Ugrappa wrote to Siddaramaiah in this regard on January 20. Ugrappa stated that considering the contributions of Gandhi, the UPA government led by Dr Manmohan Singh enacted the ‘Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act’ to tackle problems such as unemployment.
But the Modi-led NDA government, which came to power in 2014, did not provide adequate funds to MGNREGA. The NDA replaced MGNREGA with VB-G RAM G by removing Mahatma Gandhi from the Act. By doing this, it not only insulted Gandhi, but also violated Article 51(A) of the Constitution, Ugrappa alleged. “No citizen of India will tolerate this.
It is the hidden agenda of BJP and RSS and promote Nathuram Gode’s ideology,” he alleged. The Congress, which has faith in the Constitution and the ideology of Mahatma Gandhi, should give a befitting reply to the Modi government and sympathisers of RSS and Godse, he said.
Decentralisation of power and gram swarajya were Gandhi’s concepts. Based on these, GPs and other local bodies were formed. Hence, over 6,000 GPs and other local bodies in the state should be named as “Rashtrapita Mahatma Gandhi gram panchayat offices,” he said.