Bihar: CPI slams Centre over MGNREGA, Bangladesh minority violence

Patna, Jan 4 (PTI) CPI national secretary Amarjeet Kaur on Sunday criticised the central government for "dismantling" the MGNREGA and urged it to work with the Bangladesh dispensation to "strictly control" violence against minorities there.

Kaur, who is in Patna to plan the implementation of the CPI’s nationwide protest on February 12 against government policies, praised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s decision to launch the MGNREGA Bachao Abhiyan from January 8.

She was referring to Gandhi’s announcement of a nationwide agitation against the newly enacted G-RAM-G Act, which he said would "silently kill" MGNREGA and undermine people’s legal right to work.

"We are opposing the dismantling of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) by the Narendra Modi government. It is good if other people are also taking steps toward it," Kaur said.

Kaur condemned the attacks on minorities in Bangladesh and urged both the governments to "strictly control" it.

"Minorities of any country are citizens of that country. If there is an attack on them, it is the responsibility of the governments of those countries to not let this happen," she said.

The CPI leader claimed that the relation between India and Bangladesh is deteriorating, and alleged that "some people in our country are also giving provocative speeches and trying to spread unrest here as well".

Kaur also condemned US President Donald Trump for the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife.

"What Trump has done should be condemned throughout the world. If India praises such acts, it could ignite wars where there are none. This method itself is wrong," she said, adding that Trump had no right to enter and arrest members of an elected government in another country. PTI SUK MNB