Cong should take blame if allies feel INDIA bloc is disintegrating: Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut
Mumbai, Jan 10: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Friday said it was the responsibility of the Congress to keep the INDIA bloc intact as it was the largest party in the opposition alliance.
Raut's statement came in the backdrop of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's remarks expressing dismay over the lack of clarity on INDIA bloc leadership and agenda, and saying the alliance should be wound up if it was meant only for the 2024 parliamentary elections.
"If the alliance partners feel the INDIA bloc was only for the Lok Sabha polls and doesn't exist now, the Congress is to be blamed (for this situation). There has been no communication, dialogue (among constituents). We fought the Lok Sabha elections (together) and got good results. There should have been a meeting (of INDIA) to chalk out future plans and it was the Congress' responsibility to take initiative in this regard," he asserted.
Lack of communication among partners in the anti-BJP grouping is giving an impression that all is not well in the bloc which has more than two dozen parties, emphasised the Rajya Sabha MP.
"There is no communication, dialogue, discussion (among allies). This means there is confusion in the minds of all whether every thing is fine within the alliance," he noted.
Raut warned that if the alliance, which took shape before the 2024 parliamentary polls, breaks, it cannot be revived.
"If the alliance was only for the Lok Sabha polls, then declare the INDIA bloc doesn't exist anymore. (In that case), all the allies are free to chose their own path," the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader maintained.
"The INDIA bloc was formed for the Lok Sabha polls. But the Congress should take responsibility to keep everyone together. We need to correct past mistakes. Dissolving the opposition grouping will be an extreme step," Raut cautioned.
Raut said even at the time of Maharashtra assembly polls in November last year, the Congress central leadership did not intervene when its state unit was driving hard bargaining during seat-sharing talks.
"There were several assembly seats where the NCP (SP) and the Shiv Sena (UBT) had good candidates, but the Congress did not give up claim on those seats. Instead of one-upmanship, we could have carefully concluded seat-sharing deal as a united MVA," he said.
The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), a state-level alliance of opposition parties, consists of the NCP (SP), the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Congress. The MVA performed poorly in the November assembly polls winning just 46 seats in the 288-member House.
Raut emphasised that like the INDIA alliance at the national level, there was no coordination among the MVA constituents as well in Maharashtra.
The Rajya Sabha member clarified he does not agree with some Congress leaders calling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal "anti-national".
The Congress or the BJP will not win the February 5 assembly polls in Delhi. It will be the ruling AAP that will emerge victorious, he claimed.
The Congress and the AAP, both INDIA bloc members, are contesting the Delhi polls separately.
"It would have bee good if the AAP and the Congress were together it would have been good. We are in a dilemma ...both parties (Congress and AAP) needed to maintain balance. We have not yet finalized our stand on the Delhi polls," he said.
Maharashtra Congress leader Nitin Raut said MVA allies squabbled over CM post before polls and took a lot of time to finalize seat-sharing in the state for the November polls.
"We ignored organisational planning (after Lok Sabha polls) and preparation for (Maharashtra) assembly polls," he said.
Another Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar agreed with Nitin Raut and wondered if there was a conspiracy to delay the seat-sharing talks among the MVA partners.
"We wasted 20 days and lost crucial time for campaigning. Nana Patole (state Congress chief) and Sanjay Raut were the main leaders (involved in seat-sharing). We were also there. Leaders didn't come on time for talks and time was wasted," he said.
NCP (SP) leader Jitendra Awhad agreed there was a lack of coordination in the MVA.
"Wadettiwar has retained his bungalow he got as the then Leader of Opposition (in last assembly). Call a meeting. I will come ..let's discuss within ourselves rather than speaking in the media," Awhad said.
Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said Wadettiwar was very much part of the seat-sharing talks. "The Congress could have let go some seats where the allies had good candidates," Sanjay Raut said.
Talking to reporters in Jammu on Thursday, Omar Abdullah said the AAP, the Congress, and other political parties on the ground will decide how to effectively compete with the BJP.
"After the assembly elections in Delhi, they should call all the alliance members for a meeting. If this alliance (INDIA) was only for the parliamentary elections, it should be wound up, and we will work separately. But if it is meant for assembly elections as well, we will have to sit together and work collectively," the CM said.
The National Conference (NC) leader, whose party is a member of the national-level opposition grouping, was replying to a question about an RJD leader's statement that the INDIA bloc was meant only for Lok Sabha elections.
However, Omar Abdullah's father Farooq Abdullah, who heads the NC, took a different stand and asserted the INDIA bloc was a permanent political entity.
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Karnataka to approach SC seeking permission to continue MGNREGA
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka Cabinet on Thursday decided to approach the Supreme Court seeking permission to continue implementation of MGNREGA in the state, contending that the Centre had repealed the rural employment guarantee law without consultation and failed to put in place any alternative mechanism under the VB-G RAM G Act.
Briefing reporters after the Cabinet meeting, Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil said the state would immediately move the apex court seeking permission to prepare and implement the annual action plan for rural employment works, while also challenging what it described as an infringement on the constitutional rights of states.
The parliament passed VB-G RAM G in December that replaces MGNREGA.
Patil explained that the Cabinet decided to approach the court seeking permission for the State Government to prepare an action plan in this regard. Since the Centre’s stand interferes with the constitutional rights of state governments, the Cabinet has also decided to challenge this issue before the appropriate court
“There are two points here. One is that they have come in the way of our constitutional right of providing the right to work. That has been halted, and, therefore, the State Government has decided to approach the Supreme Court. The second point is that the Government of India has not provided any alternative,” the Minister said.
The Central Government has not yet issued a notification to implement the VB-G RAM G Act, nor has it made any alternative arrangements and hence continuing Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is unavoidable in the public interest, the Minister said.
“Therefore, in the interest of the public, farmers and agricultural labourers, we must continue MGNREGA. For that purpose, the Cabinet has decided to approach the court seeking permission for the State Government to prepare the action plan for this year,” he added.
The Minister also said the Centre had only permitted continuation of pending and spillover MGNREGA works without releasing grants or announcing a fresh action plan.
“The Centre itself has said that pending, spillover and half-done MGNREGA works can continue. That means MGNREGA is actually still functioning in practice. But there is no new action plan,” he said.
Patil said the state had already passed a resolution on the issue, while Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had written to the Prime Minister and the Rural Development Minister had held discussions with Union Ministers.
Replying to questions, the minister said the state would move court “as immediately as possible.”
He clarified that the state was seeking permission to formulate and implement this year’s action plan under the existing framework.
“What we are asking the Supreme Court is to allow us to have the action plan for this year and implement it,” he said.
The Cabinet also held detailed discussions on the final report submitted by the State Education Policy Commission headed by former UGC chairman Professor Sukhadeo Thorat.
Patil said a Cabinet sub-committee would be constituted to examine the report and recommend measures for implementation.
“No decision has been taken yet. The Cabinet sub-committee will recommend what should be accepted and what should be modified,” he said.
He said the report comprised around eight volumes and covered issues relating to financial implications, human resources, curriculum reforms, deemed universities, unitary universities and newly established universities. The Chief Minister has been authorised to constitute the sub-committee.
The Cabinet also approved the Karnataka Motor Transport and Other Related Workers’ Social Security and Welfare Amendment Bill, 2026, transferring welfare administration of transport-related workers from the Labour Department to the Transport Department.
The Cabinet further approved establishment of three new industrial estates in Kalaburagi, Yadgir and Surpur under the Karnataka State Small Industries Development Corporation and Kalyana Karnataka Region Development Board schemes at an estimated cost of Rs 200 crore.
The Cabinet also approved amendments to Karnataka Civil Services (General Recruitment) Rules, 2026, providing two per cent reservation in state civil services appointments for sportspersons.
