Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, and Ministers Sharan Prakash Patil and Priyank Kharge at a joint press conference in Bengaluru on January 3, 2026.
| Photo Credit: K. MURALI KUMAR
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday said that on the lines of the farmers’ protest that compelled the Centre to withdraw farm laws, a protest would be launched with like-minded political parties and organisations representing the poor to demand repeal of the new Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) and restoration of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Act (MGNREGA).
Addressing a joint press conference with Deputy Chief Minister and KPCC chief D.K. Shivakumar and other Ministers, he demanded that the Centre repeal the new law to guarantee the right to work for the rural poor, labourers, and women.
Panchayat system
He alleged that the NDA government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had “killed Mahatma Gandhi for the second time” by repealing the job scheme named after Gandhiji. While Mahatma Gandhi advocated Gram Swaraj, the Centre had “destroyed the panchayat system” by curtailing the rights of the rural local bodies to identify and allot work under the scheme.
Calling the move “unconstitutional and anti-federal”, he cited Articles 258 and 280, and the 73rd Constitutional Amendment to allege that the Centre had taken away the powers of the gram panchayats.
MGNREGA, which was introduced 20 years ago by the UPA-I government in 2005, ensured several rights for the poor and the common people, including the right to work, Mr. Siddaramaiah recalled.
He argued that the repeal of MGNREGA would lead to increased unemployment, migration, loss of minimum wage protection, exploitation of labour, reduced participation of women in labour, and hardship for Dalit and Adivasi families.
RSS idea
The Chief Minister charged that this was being done at the behest of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Referring to Manu Smriti, he said it propagated the idea that women, Shudras, and Dalits should not possess wealth and should live by working for others.
He said that the RSS, inspired by such ideology, was now attempting to implement these ideas by curtailing the rights of the people.
He said that under the new VB-G RAM G Act, employment had been converted from a demand-driven scheme to a supply-driven one, with the Centre deciding where and when work would be undertaken.
The Chief Minister, who holds the Finance portfolio, said the new Act would impose an additional financial burden of nearly ₹3,000 crore annually on the State government.
Earlier, the Centre bore 90% of expenditure under MGNREGA. The new law mandated States to contribute 40% of the cost.
Rolling out data, Mr. Siddaramaiah said that MGNREGA supported around 12.16 crore workers across the country, of whom 6.21 crore were women, accounting for nearly 54% of the workforce.
In Karnataka, there were 71.18 lakh active MGNREGA workers, including 36.75 lakh women. He had written to Mr. Modi, on December 31, 2025, opposing the legislation.
‘Will hurt BJP-ruled States too’
Mr. Shivakumar said the issue was not political but concerned the livelihoods of the poor. He questioned the silence of BJP leaders on the matter and said that even BJP-ruled States would be adversely affected by the new law.
Published – January 03, 2026 06:16 pm IST
