Karnataka CM attacks Centre over MGNREGA repeal, plans nationwide protest
Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, on Saturday, criticised the NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for repealing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and replacing it with the Viksit Bharat—Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB—G RAM G) Act, and announced that the protest will be held at the national level from the party and also from the Congress-led government in the state.
Addressing a joint press conference with Deputy Chief Minister and State Congress President D.K. Shivakumar, the Chief Minister alleged that the new law has stripped rural workers and panchayats of their rights and charged that this is being done at the behest of the Rastriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
“The Congress will take up the issue, and the Karnataka government will also address it simultaneously. A national action plan will be chalked out immediately to decide the steps to be taken by both the party and the state government,” CM Siddaramaiah said.
The issue was discussed at the Cabinet meeting held on Friday.
MGNREGA, which was introduced 20 years ago by the former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, ensured several rights for the poor and common people, including the right to work.
However, MGNREGA has now been repealed, and the Union government has introduced a new legislation called the VB-G RAM G Act.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that just as farmers had compelled the Centre to withdraw the farm laws, a similar struggle would be launched along with like-minded political parties and organisations representing the poor.
“This law must be withdrawn. We will continue to protest until the VB-G RAM G Act is scrapped,” he added.
“When MGNREGA was introduced, the BJP had opposed it. The Right to Food Act was also ridiculed by senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi when the bill was tabled before the Parliament.
“This is not a food guarantee, it is a vote guarantee,” the Chief Minister had remarked.
The BJP’s major achievement in its 11 years of rule, CM Siddaramaiah alleged, has been changing the names of welfare schemes.
“As many as 30 schemes have either been renamed or repealed. Nirmal Bharat was replaced by Swachh Bharat, Indira Awas Yojana was renamed as Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, and the Five-Year Plan was replaced by the NITI Aayog.”
He alleged that several welfare schemes meant for the benefit of the people have been diluted or dismantled.
The Chief Minister said the move is “unconstitutional”.
Citing Articles 258 and 280 and the 73rd Constitutional Amendment, CM Siddaramaiah alleged that the Centre has taken away the powers of the Gram Sabhas and Gram Panchayats, which goes against decentralisation, federalism and the Constitution.
Referring to the Manusmriti, he alleged that it propagates the idea that women, Shudras and Dalits should not possess wealth and should live in servitude.
He claimed that the RSS, inspired by such ideology, is now attempting to implement these ideas by curtailing the rights of the people.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that MGNREGA had guaranteed the right to work for the poor, vulnerable sections, women and small farmers by allowing them to demand employment within their own gram panchayats.
He alleged that under the new VB-G RAM G Act, employment has been converted from a demand-driven scheme to a supply-driven one, with the Centre deciding where and when work will be undertaken.
“The rights of people and panchayats have been taken away. Neither the states nor the people were consulted before bringing this law,” the Chief Minister said, urging the Centre to scrap the VB-G RAM G Act and restore MGNREGA along with the right to work and the autonomy of panchayats.
Siddaramaiah said the new Act would impose an additional financial burden of nearly Rs 3,000 crore on the state government.
He added that while the Centre earlier bore the entire expenditure under MGNREGA, the new law mandates states to contribute 40 per cent of the cost, effectively turning it into a centrally sponsored scheme.
He said the VB-G RAM G Act was passed in the Parliament on December 18, 2025, a day after it was introduced, without adequate discussion.
Citing data, Siddaramaiah said that MGNREGA supported around 12.16 crore workers across the country, of whom 6.21 crore were women, accounting for nearly 54 per cent of the workforce.
“In Karnataka alone, there are 71.18 lakh active MGNREGA workers, including 36.75 lakh women.”
The Chief Minister alleged that the repeal of MGNREGA would lead to increased unemployment, migration, loss of minimum wage protection, exploitation of labour, reduced participation of women, and hardship for Dalit and Adivasi families.
He also claimed that the new law undermines decentralisation and federalism by curtailing the powers of gram sabhas and gram panchayats, in violation of constitutional provisions.
Siddaramaiah said that he had written to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 30, 2025, opposing the legislation.
Drawing parallels with the repeal of the farm laws following farmers’ protests, he added that the Congress would launch a nationwide agitation in coordination with like-minded political parties and organisations until the VB-G RAM G Act is withdrawn.
Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar said the issue was not political but concerned the livelihoods of the poor.
He questioned the silence of BJP leaders on the matter and said that even BJP-ruled states would be adversely affected by the new law.
“We will ensure that just as the farm laws were repealed, this law too will be withdrawn,” Shivakumar said, adding that both the state government and the Congress would jointly call a protest over the issue.
Minister for RUral Development and Panchayati Raj, IT and Biotechnology Priyank Kharge, Minister for Medical Education Sharan Prakash Patil, State Food Minister K.H. Muniyappa, Minister for Women and Child Welfare Laxmi Hebbalkar and others were present.
