Protest by Congress SC Morcha against VB-G RAM G Act in Belagavi district

Congress SC Morcha members organised a protest against the Union Government for making changes to the rural job scheme MGNREGA, and for introducing VBGRAMG, at Raibag in Belagavi district of Karnataka, on February 16.

Chikkodi MP Priyanka Jarkiholi accused the BJP-led NDA government of destroying the rural economy by taking away the right of the rural poor to demand work. She said the government had brought in the VBGRAMG scheme unilaterally, without consulting either the opposition or the state governments. She demanded resumption of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act scheme.

Protestors marched through the town demanding cancellation of the VB-G-Ram-G scheme and restoration of the old Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act scheme.

The BJP central government is changing the name of many pro-people schemes that the UPA government had brought in. All of us should oppose this, she said. She demanded that the schemes that the Congress led UPA government had should be continued.

KPCC General Secretary Mahavir Mohite said, “BJP had betrayed the rural poor, SC/ST, OBCs, minorities and women, who were dependant on MGNREGA. It may seem that we are worried about the change in the name of the scheme, but that is not the only issue. The new scheme has made it a completely centralised scheme, and the powers of gram panchayats have been taken away. As long as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in power, we are worried that he would implement unbridled privatisation of national assets, and surrender to powers like USA and international finance agencies. We should be vigilant. We suspect that the BJP and RSS are trying to change the Constitution. But if they try to do that, we should remain united and fight against them.”

Chikkodi district Congress President Laxmanrao Chingale said, “The BJP government has been fooling the common people using various distractions. The BJP leaders are also trying to provoke the people and divide the society on lines of caste, religion, and languages. They have the audacity to remove the name of Mahatma Gandhi, who fought for independence, from this scheme. This should be opposed,” he said.

Congress leaders Shivanagouda Patil, Siddarudha Bandagar, Nirmala Patil, Shankargowda Patil, Abdul Sutaramulla, Haji Mulla, Appasaheb Kulgod, Dilip Jamadar, Arjun Nayakwadi, Shivu Marai, Shankargowda Patil, Raju Kotagi, and Ganesh Mohite were among those who participated in the march.