Congress chief Kharge flays MGNREGA repeal, accuses Modi govt of 'favouring' corporates

Bengaluru, Jan 12 (PTI) Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday slammed the Centre for repealing the UPA-era MGNREGA and replacing it with a new rural employment scheme, VB-G RAM G.

Labelling the BJP "anti-people", he accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "handing over the country’s resources to big corporates" instead of helping the poor.

He added that the Congress party’s fight against the central government over the repeal of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and its demand for restoring the scheme by scrapping the new Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) would continue.

"I don’t want to react to anyone’s statement. MGNREGA was a right to work. As per Article 41 under the Directive Principles, this was enacted as a law under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi during the Manmohan Singh government. They have struck down an Act that was intended to fill the stomachs of the poor and help them," Kharge said in response to a question.

Speaking to reporters here, he said the Centre’s move would also "obstruct" the functioning of panchayats.

"With the cost-sharing ratio of 60:40 under the new law, an additional financial burden of 30 per cent is being placed on state governments, as earlier the cost-sharing ratio between the Centre and the states was 90:10," he said.

Alleging that the Centre’s intention was to completely stop the MGNREGA scheme and prevent benefits from reaching people, the AICC chief said the government was systematically targeting UPA-era welfare schemes such as the Right to Education, Right to Food Security and the Right to Work under MGNREGA.

"They want to stop these schemes from reaching the poor. MGNREGA was a right given to the poor," he said.

Hitting back at critics of MGNREGA and allegations of corruption under the scheme, Kharge said the Centre itself conducts audits, and as per the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), the scheme has created several assets, including lakes, roads, school buildings and anganwadis.

"If the BJP is opposing such schemes, it is anti-people. BJP is anti-people. PM Modi, instead of helping the poor, is giving away the country’s resources to big corporates and cutting 30 per cent funding for MGNREGA," he claimed.

"I condemn it. We are fighting against it, and the fight will continue. We will not stop here," he added.

The Congress has demanded that the Centre scrap the VB-G RAM G Act and restore the UPA-era MGNREGA, and has planned a nationwide agitation on the issue, including in Karnataka.

Responding to a question on recent developments in poll-bound West Bengal, Kharge said, "What has happened there is, in a way, the BJP’s programme to defeat opposition parties in different parts of the country by using SIR (Special Intensive Revision)." "We have been saying this from the beginning. Rahul Gandhi has been saying that vote chori (theft) is happening. Now everyone has started talking about it. We will take this issue forward," he added. PTI KSU SSK ROH