Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the state government will rename all gram panchayats in Karnataka after Mahatma Gandhi, with an official announcement to be made in the upcoming Budget.
Speaking at the MNREGA Bachao Sangram programme ahead of the Lok Bhavan Chalo protest at Freedom Park, the Chief Minister accused the Centre of undermining the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) by replacing it with the Viksit Bharat–Gram Rozgar Ajeevika Mission (VB-G RAM G).
He termed the move unconstitutional and said it amounted to an attack on the poor. Siddaramaiah said MNREGA earlier ensured around ₹1 crore per gram panchayat every year and guaranteed 100 days of employment, particularly benefiting women and vulnerable sections.
Claiming the decision was influenced by the RSS, he said the new scheme would weaken the role of gram panchayats in providing jobs. He also asserted that Congress had introduced key pro-people legislations such as MNREGA, RTI, Right to Food, Forest Rights Act and RTE during the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government.
The Chief Minister said women accounted for 53 per cent of MNREGA beneficiaries, while 28 per cent were from SC/ST communities, and nearly five lakh persons with disabilities had also benefited under the scheme.
He alleged that the Centre’s move would shift decision-making powers from local bodies to Delhi, affecting rural employment and livelihoods.
