Munish Sood
Mandi
Former Himachal Pradesh minister and senior Congress leader Kaul Singh Thakur on Saturday launched a sharp attack on the BJP-led central government, alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi follows the same ideology that was responsible for the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. Addressing a press conference in Mandi, Thakur said this was the reason behind the removal of Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the MGNREGA scheme.
“The ideology that killed Mahatma Gandhi is the same ideology that Prime Minister Modi represents. That is why Gandhi’s name has been removed from the country’s most important rural employment scheme,” Thakur said.
Demanding immediate restoration of the original Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), the senior Congress leader said the Centre must revoke the newly introduced “VB G-Ram-G” nomenclature and reinstate all provisions of the earlier law.
“Gandhi gave this nation its freedom. Today, the BJP’s attitude towards him is well known. There is nothing but hatred for Mahatma Gandhi in their politics,” he alleged.
Centre Taking Away Powers of Panchayats
Kaul Singh Thakur also criticised the Centre for altering the funding pattern of the scheme. He said that earlier, MGNREGA was funded in a 90:10 ratio between the Centre and the states, but in many states it has now been changed to 60:40.
“States are now being asked to deposit their 40 per cent share first, only after which the Centre releases its 60 per cent contribution. This is creating a financial burden on states and delaying development works,” he said.
He further alleged that under the new framework, development priorities of panchayats will now be decided from “Delhi Darbar”, which would undermine grassroots democracy.
“Decisions about what kind of development a panchayat needs should be taken locally. Centralising this process will only harm rural development,” Thakur warned.
Congress to Hold Hunger Protest at Gandhi Chowk
Opposing what he termed as the Centre’s attempt to weaken the landmark rural employment scheme, Kaul Singh Thakur announced that the Congress party will stage a four-hour hunger protest on Wednesday at Gandhi Chowk in Mandi.
“The BJP government is trying to dismantle the MGNREGA law. If the old law is not restored immediately, we will intensify our agitation,” he said.
Congress Leaders Present
Former minister Prakash Chaudhary, Dharampur MLA Chandrashekhar Thakur and Mandi District Congress Committee president Champa Thakur were also present at the press conference.
