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Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the Narendra Modi-led Central government over its reported move to change the name and structure of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), alleging that the decision reflects "hatred towards the poor and Mahatma Gandhi" and undermines federal principles.
In a strongly worded statement shared on X (formerly Twitter), Siddaramaiah said the rural employment scheme, introduced by the UPA government two decades ago, played a crucial role in reducing unemployment and poverty in rural India. He asserted that the scheme, which legally guarantees employment, has earned recognition from economic experts in India and abroad, and warned that any dilution of this guarantee would have serious social consequences. The Chief Minister alleged that the new structure proposed by the Centre weakens the employment guarantee and makes access to work dependent on "the whims of political leaders". He claimed this would aggravate caste discrimination and social inequality, while also triggering distress migration as families may be forced to travel far from their villages in search of livelihoods. Siddaramaiah also criticised the funding pattern of the scheme, alleging that the NDA government has shifted a greater financial burden onto states by requiring them to bear 40 per cent of the cost. He described this as an "anti-federal" approach that strains state finances and erodes cooperative federalism. Objecting to the reported move to drop Mahatma Gandhi's name from the scheme, the Karnataka CM said naming the programme after Gandhi, who envisioned Gram Swarajya, was symbolically and morally significant. He accused the Prime Minister of projecting reverence for Gandhi abroad while attempting to erase his legacy at home. Expanding his criticism, Siddaramaiah accused the Modi government of repeatedly renaming or repackaging schemes launched by previous governments instead of strengthening them. He cited examples such as Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan being renamed Swachh Bharat Mission, JNNURM becoming AMRUT, and the Rajiv Gandhi Rural Electrification Scheme being merged into Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana. The Chief Minister said his party and the Karnataka government "strongly condemn" the Centre's move and announced plans to launch a statewide agitation against it. He also appealed to MGNREGA beneficiaries to collectively raise their voices and press BJP leaders to oppose what he termed an injustice to the rural poor. (ANI)
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