Shivamogga MP defends Centre’s move of replacing MGNREGA with VB-G RAM G Act

Shivamogga Lok Sabha member B.Y. Raghavendra has criticised Congress leaders for their comments on the replacement of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Act, alleging that their arguments lack logic.

Addressing a press conference in Shivamogga on January 12, Mr. Raghavendra said that the Centre took the decision to ensure the scheme’s effective implementation, following a detailed discussion in Parliament. Under the VB-G RAM G Act, the number of work days have been increased from 100 to 125 a year, and a pause of 60 days has also been declared to ensure that agricultural activities are not disturbed.

The Congress workers, who hardly show respect to Mahatma Gandhi, are unnecessarily criticising the renaming of the scheme, he said, adding, “Even if Mahatma Gandhi were alive, he would have opposed the Congress party for their stance.”

Mr. Raghavendra stated that the Congress party, when it was in power at the Centre, named many government schemes after only three people: Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, and Rajiv Gandhi. “Why didn’t the Congress remember Mahatma Gandhi’s name when it launched the National Drinking Water Mission? Even when the rural employment guarantee was launched, the Congress government had not named it after Mahatma Gandhi. However, it was named after Gandhi later,” he said.

The MP said the Congress party opposed the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voters’ list for no valid reason. The SIR had been completed in nine places, covering over 50 crore of the population. Among them, around 6.5 crore names had been deleted from the voters’ list. “Is there any one person who has questioned the deletion of his or her name so far? Then, why is the Congress opposing it? There is no logic in their arguments,” he said.

Legislators S.N. Channabasappa and Dr. Dhananjay Sarji, district BJP president N.K. Jagadish, and others were present at the press conference.