BJP's attempts to poach ruling MLAs will fail: Dinesh Gundu Rao
Bengaluru, Feb 5: The Congress' Karnataka unit chief Dinesh Gundu Rao Tuesday continued his tirade against the BJP for its alleged 'Operation Lotus' to poach ruling party MLAs and asserted that the saffron party would not succeed in its attempt.
Speaking to reporters at Hubballi, Rao said the coalition government would complete its tenure.
"They (BJP leaders) have been saying the budget will not be tabled or passed as the government will collapse. They tried to poach our MLAs and now they are targeting them," he said.
He claimed that a few days ago a Congress MLA told him that he received a phone call from a BJP leader telling him that the "delivery" (cash) was ready and he has to collect it.
"You can see how desperate the BJP is to topple the government. No political party has ever stooped so low when compared to BJP. However, this Operation Lotus will flop completely.They will lose face again.
Thrice they attempted and now this is their fourth attempt. Yet they have not learned any lessons," the state Congress president said.
Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, former chief minister Siddaramaiah and senior Congress functionaries have been accusing the BJP of horse trading.
However, the BJP has refuted these allegations, saying it did not need to topple the government as it would come down on its own.
The BJP's state unit chief BS Yeddyurappa Tuesday hit out at JDS supremo H D Deve Gowda and asked him to stop accusing the saffron party of trying to "destabilise" the Congress-JDS government and instead keep the coalition flock together.
He was reacting to Gowda's comments that attempts were being made by the BJP's state unit to "destabilise" the government.
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Cong slams Modi govt as 'anti-worker', calls for review of new Labour code
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Friday accused the Modi government of being "anti-worker" and demanded that the new labour code be reviewed, MGNREGA be revived as well as a national minimum wage of Rs 400 per day be established.
On International Labour Day, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge took a swipe at the government and said unemployment in India today is a direct consequence of the 'Hum Do, Hamare Do' policies.
"Driven by the 'Hum Do, Hamare Do' policy, the Modi government implemented an anti-worker Labour Code. As a result, unrest has erupted everywhere - be it in Noida, at the IOCL facility in Panipat, Adani's factory in Raikheda, NTPC Patratu, or the Samsung factory in Sriperumbudur," Kharge said in a post in Hindi on X.
Instead of ensuring job security, this Code promotes policies such as contract labour and 'Hire & Fire' practices, Kharge said and called for a review of the new Labour Code.
The Modi government has effectively dismantled MGNREGA by forcibly pushing legislation through Parliament, he alleged.
"Mr. Modi has shifted 40% of the wage burden onto the State governments. State governments are unable to bear this financial strain and will eventually be forced to stop providing work," he claimed.
The Modi government has compelled workers into a state of unemployment and pushed them towards 'gig work', Kharge said.
Currently, 69% of the workforce is working for wages below the statutory minimum wage, he said.
The Modi government has engineered a crisis of stagnant wages, Kharge alleged.
"When adjusted for inflation, the wages of the majority of India's workers have grown by less than 1% annually over the last decade (from 2014-15 to 2022-23)," he said.
The Modi government has created a massive unemployment crisis among the educated workforce, specifically, among graduates, Kharge claimed and added that jobs have been eliminated through the sale of Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs).
"The government has refused to fill approximately 30 lakh vacant government positions. Furthermore, the government's policy blunders have led to the decimation of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)," the Congress chief said.
The Congress reiterates its five demands for India's workers including revival of MGNREGA and its expansion to urban areas, Kharge said.
He said a national minimum wage of Rs 400 per day should be established, with MNREGA included within its scope.
Kharged demanded that a 'Right to Health' law must be enacted, providing Universal Health Coverage of up to Rs 25 lakh for laborers and workers.
"'Life Insurance and Accident Insurance' coverage must be provided for all unorganized workers. Preventing the contractualization of employment must be made a core priority of the government, and the new Labour Codes must be reviewed," Kharge asserted.
