Udupi Congress Protests Alleged MGNREGA Amendments, Accuses BJP of Undermining Employment Rights for the Poor
Udupi: The Udupi District Congress Committee staged a protest on Tuesday in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office, decrying what they termed as anti-people policies of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Central Government regarding the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA). Former Minister Vinay Kumar Sorake spearheaded the demonstration, alleging that recent amendments to the scheme are depriving the poor of their statutory right to employment by altering the powers vested with Gram Panchayats.
Sorake asserted that MGNREGA, an initiative introduced by the UPA government under Congress leadership, had historically provided crucial employment opportunities to numerous impoverished families. He contended that the new “Viksit Bharat” framework is fundamentally weakening the core principles of the scheme. “By changing the name and structure of MGNREGA, the BJP is undermining the livelihoods of daily wage workers and weaker sections,” Sorake stated. He further accused the Central Government of abandoning pro-poor schemes, thereby exacerbating the socio-economic divide between the rich and the poor. Sorake called for a large-scale farmers’-style movement to safeguard MGNREGA, further noting that the Karnataka Government is considering continuing the existing MGNREGA framework instead of implementing the new central scheme in the state.
Former Member of Parliament K. Jayaprakash Hegde echoed Sorake’s sentiments, recalling that MGNREGA, during the UPA government led by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, had been instrumental in providing employment to the rural poor and strengthening the economic foundations of countless families. Hegde alleged that the NDA government is deliberately diluting the core objectives of the program.
Hegde further commented on the symbolic significance of the scheme, stating that “even if Mahatma Gandhi’s name is removed from the scheme, Gandhi continues to live in the hearts of people.” He criticized the imposition of a 40% financial share on the state government, characterizing it as an attempt to shift the financial burden to the state in the future. Hegde also accused the Central Government of misusing agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate and Income Tax Department against political opponents, creating what he described as an “undeclared Emergency.”
The protestors commenced their march from Coin Circle in Manipal, proceeding to the Deputy Commissioner’s office while chanting slogans against the Central Government. A memorandum outlining their grievances was submitted to the Centre through Udupi Additional Deputy Commissioner Abid Gadyal, who received the document on behalf of the government.
Udupi District Congress President Ashok Kumar Kodavoor, along with leaders Uday Kumar Shetty Muniyalu and Prasadraj Kanchan, addressed the assembled gathering. A significant number of Congress leaders and workers participated in the protest, demonstrating their solidarity against the alleged amendments to the MGNREGA scheme.
