BJP does not have moral right to talk about Gandhi & protest near his statue: K’taka Dy CM Shivakumar

Bengaluru, Jan 3 (IANS) Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and State Congress President D.K. Shivakumar said on Saturday that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders have lost the moral right to talk about Mahatma Gandhi and protest near the Gandhi statue.

Addressing a joint press conference with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at Chief Minister’s home office Krishna, Shivakumar said, “The BJP leaders have lost the right to protest near Mahatma Gandhiji’s statue. They have lost the right to hang Gandhiji’s photo in their offices.”

“They (BJP) don’t have any right over Gandhiji after they removed his name from the rural employment scheme MGNREGA. It is an insult to remove Gandhiji’s name at a time when we are celebrating 100th anniversary of Gandhiji taking over as the Congress President,” he added.

“We will protest until the Centre withdraws the VB-G RAM G legislation. We will organise protests at every gram panchayat. We will force the Centre to withdraw this legislation the way they withdrew the Farm law bills,” the Deputy Chief Minister said.

“They are ending a scheme which helped develop villages for the last 20 years. With the new legislation, our fishing community in coastal Karnataka will also get affected. Why are State BJP leaders silent about withdrawal of the rural employment scheme?” he asked.

“MGNREGA helped the rural people develop their lands, build homes. But the new VB-G RAM G Act doesn’t allow that. It only allows Pradhan Mantri Awas scheme,” he said.

“MGNREGA had allowed building of sheds for livestock, pig farming and sheep farming. You can go and see what we have achieved through MGNREGA in Kanakapura taluk. We have used the highest grants under this scheme,” the Deputy Chief Minister added.

“The BJP has taken away all this. Haveri district also has achieved significant progress with this scheme. But the Centre has taken away this from our rural people,” he said.

“In MGNREGA, farmers could apply for grants for works in their farms. Now, the BJP government has given this right to contractors. This scheme will not be successful in any state. The Union Ministers from Karnataka haven’t welcomed this scheme, why is that?” he asked.

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