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Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Saturday unanimously condemned what he described as the Union government's "anti-federal and anti-national" move to weaken the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
In a post on X, Siddaramaiah wrote, "At today's Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting at Indira Bhawan, New Delhi, we unanimously condemned the Union Government's anti-federal and anti-national move to weaken the very spirit of the Employment Guarantee Programme by changing the name and structure of MGNREGA." He also mentioned that the meeting focused on upcoming poll preparations, developing strategies to prevent vote theft, and addressing the country's significant challenges. "The meeting will also focus on preparations for upcoming Assembly elections, strategies to stop vote theft, and addressing the major challenges facing the country," he said. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge chaired the CWC meeting at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters. Senior party leaders, including Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, were present. Among those attending the meeting were Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, senior leader Harish Rawat, former External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, MPs Rajeev Shukla and Abhishek Manu Singhvi, and Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah. Siddaramaiah's presence at the meeting comes amid speculation over a possible leadership change in Karnataka, with Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar reiterating his claim to a reported 2.5-year leadership-sharing agreement reached after the 2023 Assembly elections. Shivakumar was not invited to the CWC meeting. "I am aware that two, three CMs have been invited. But the DCM has not been invited," he had said earlier. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor also attended the meeting despite recent reports of strained ties with the party leadership. Tharoor has recently made headlines for skipping some party events and for praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address at the Ramnath Goenka Lecture. (ANI)
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