BENGALURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said all gram panchayats across Karnataka will be named after Mahatma Gandhi, and it will be announced in the upcoming state budget.
Addressing party workers at the ‘Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGA) Bachao Sangram’ and ahead of the ‘Lok Bhavan Chalo’, at Freedom Park, he said the Centre replacing Viksit Bharat - Gram Rozgar Ajeevika Mission - Guarantee (VB-G RAM G) with MNREGA is unconstitutional and an attack on the poor.
“Under MNREGA, each gram panchayat used to get Rs 1 crore annually, and the poor, especially women, were assured of 100 days of work in a year. But this has been taken away,” he said and added that the Centre’s move is at the behest of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
Only congress is pro-poor, says CM
Siddaramaiah said it was during former PM Manmohan Singh-led government that the landmark pro-people legislation like MNREGA, Right to Food and Livelihood, RTI, Forest Act, RTE, and others were brought in. “Only Congress is pro-poor and pro-people.
BJP is anti-poor. Under MNREGA, 53% of women worked and benefited. 28% of the population comprising SC/STs benefited. Nearly five lakh specially-abled persons benefited.”
“RSS worker Godse killed Mahatma Gandhi, and Modi has killed the pro-people scheme named after Mahatma Gandhi,” he said, adding that under MNREGA, GPs were empowered to give jobs to the poor and needy, now Delhi will decide.
“Hundred days of guaranteed employment was a constitutional right, and BJP is snatching it away,” he alleged. “Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has directed BJP MLAs not to discuss the matter. But we will discuss the matter in the ongoing legislative session,” he said.