Karnataka Congress leaders on Wednesday staged a protest near the Gandhi statue at Suvarna Soudha in Belagavi, targeting the Central government over the National Herald case and the decision to rename the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) as VB-G Ram G.
Addressing reporters during the protest, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said National Herald has deep roots in India’s freedom struggle and questioned the actions of central agencies. He said the newspaper was founded by Jawaharlal Nehru during the freedom movement and described it as the pride of the nation. Shivakumar alleged that he has still not been given a copy of the FIR in the case and claimed that such actions have damaged the credibility of the Enforcement Directorate.
“The National Herald is the pride of the country. I ask only one question: why have they still not provided me with the FIR copy? The image of the Enforcement Directorate has been tarnished,” he said.
The protest also focused on the Centre’s move to rename MGNREGA, with Congress leaders accusing the BJP-led government of undermining Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy and weakening a key welfare scheme. Karnataka Minister M B Patil said Mahatma Gandhi is the Father of the Nation and termed MGNREGA a successful programme that generated employment in rural areas across the country. He said the scheme was initiated under the leadership of Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, and alleged that the BJP changed its name as it could not accept its success.
Reacting to the Congress protest, Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy criticised the party, claiming it was the Congress that had historically opposed Mahatma Gandhi. He said Gandhi had once suggested that the Congress dissolve itself after independence, as it should no longer function as a political party.
Meanwhile, the Bill introduced by the Agriculture Minister in the Lok Sabha proposes increasing guaranteed wage employment from 100 to 125 days per rural household for adult members willing to undertake unskilled manual work. As per the Bill, the Centre and states will share funds in a 60:40 ratio, while the ratio will be 90:10 for North Eastern states, Himalayan states and certain Union Territories. The Bill also allows state governments to declare up to 60 days in a financial year during peak agricultural seasons when no work will be taken up under the scheme.
