Bengaluru, Jan 8 (PTI) Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday said a special session of the state legislature will be called soon to pass a resolution demanding the re-implementation of the MGNREGA.
The chief minister announced this at a meeting of the congress legislators at a hotel here, to discuss the nationwide “Save MGNREGA” mass movement organised by the AICC.
Deputy chief minister and state Congress President D K Shivakumar, all ministers, MLAs, and Legislative Council members were present.
The Congress has demanded that the Centre scrap the new Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Act, and bring back the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
Earlier in the day, the state Cabinet decided not to accept the recently enacted VB-G RAM G Act, replacing the MGNREGA, and to take up a legal battle against it.
“A special session of the state legislature will be called soon to pass a resolution demanding the re-implementation of the MGNREGA,” Siddaramaiah was quoted as saying at the meeting by his office in a release.
Later, speaking to reporters, Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar said the plan is to have the special legislature session for two days.
Stating that protests also will be held by the party at gram panchayat, taluk and district levels, he said, “We will hold a 5 km padayatra in each taluk from January 26 to February 2. National leaders will also participate in these padayatras.” The MGNREGA was a scheme to create employment in rural areas for Dalits, women and farmers, Siddaramaiah said. One hundred days of employment opportunities were available under this scheme in a year. “But, the central government has taken up the task of taking away this very employment,” he alleged.
Accusing the central government of removing the name of Mahatma Gandhi from the scheme, Siddaramaiah claimed, “By doing this, Gandhi has been killed once again. This is the lesson taught to them by the Sangh Parivar.” Terming the Centre repealing the MGNREGA an injustice to crores of Dalits, he said, “Our struggle must be intensified. Those who have taken away the employment rights of the poor must be taught a lesson. The Sangh Parivar cannot tolerate the poor becoming economically empowered.” Calling for a mass movement to re-implement the MGNREGA, the CM said, every gram panchayat member should reach out to those working under the MGNREGA scheme.
“MLAs should also work to make people aware of the issue. An environment needs to be created where our struggle develops into a mass movement,” he said, adding that it is unconstitutional to cancel a programme implemented by the Congress government and take away the right to employment from the poor. PTI KSU PRK PRK
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