Tikaram Jully slams Centre for MGNREGA name change, fund cuts, two-month halt in jobs

Jaipur, Dec 16 (PTI) Leader of Opposition in the Rajasthan Assembly, Tikaram Jully, on Tuesday lashed out at the Central government over its proposed move to rename the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

Jully accused the government of trying to erase Gandhian values and said name change has been the Modi government's agenda since the beginning.

"They talk about Gandhi's ideals but their thinking is like Godse's. That is why they are changing names. There might be an even bigger plan behind using Lord Ram's name," he said at a press conference.

The Opposition leader also accused the government of undermining workers' rights by planning to halt employment for two months during the harvest season. This is a direct violation of workers' rights, he said.

The Central government used to provide 90 per cent of the funding, but this will be significantly reduced now, he said.

Jully cited other schemes as well where the central contribution has been drastically cut down.

"This government is reducing funding for key welfare schemes, directly impacting the workers who rely on them. The number of working days under MGNREGA has fallen from 100 days to just 23 days in Rajasthan, which is a betrayal of the people," he said.

He also noted that while MGNREGA had provided crucial support during the COVID-19 pandemic, curbing migration and reducing the burden on urban areas, the government had failed to provide adequate work in rural areas.

Jully also mentioned the alarming number of deaths of Booth Level Officers (BLO) deployed by the Election Commission for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

He claimed that over 30 BLOs have committed suicide due to immense workload.

"The biggest impact of SIR is on poor farmers and nomads who are struggling to protect their votes. The government claims to be tackling infiltrators, but how many have they caught?" Jully asked.

He also raised concerns over the new elevation-based definition of Aravalli mountain range, accusing the Central government of conspiring to benefit its friends and leaders by taking advantage of it.

The new definition states that only the land forms rising at least 100 metres would be considered as Aravalli hills.

The Congress has been consistently raising the issue and will take it to people, he said.

"The government is busy distributing mining rights to its friends instead of protecting our natural resources. This will have long-term consequences for our future generations," he said.

He also targeted the Rajasthan government over a range of issues, including law and order.

Between August 2023 and July 2025, a total of 39,974 serious crimes were registered but only 174 convictions were made, which reflects a conviction rate of just 0.4 per cent, he said, "This shows the complete failure of the government in upholding law and order." He also accused the government of suppressing crime statistics and said that even officers have to resort to protests to get FIRs registered.

Jully accused the government of negligence in a recent death caused by oxygen shortage in ambulances.

"During emergencies, ambulances run out of oxygen, leading to deaths. Yet the government has not taken accountability for this," he said.

Jully also targeted the Bhajanlal Sharma-led government which completed two years in office on Monday and called it "a two-year tenure a failure".

Pointing to the government's claim of fulfilling 72 per cent of its manifesto promises, Jully said it was a "72 per cent betrayal" of public trust.

The leader of opposition highlighted several unfulfilled promises and accused the government of failing to meet its targets under the Jal Jeevan Mission. He pointed out that the Minimum Support Price for crops like moong, urad and groundnut have not been implemented.

The Congress leader also accused the government of not fulfilling promises regarding school uniforms and livestock insurance, and for failing to create jobs. PTI SDA RUK RUK