CM Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar court arrest protesting against MGNREGA scrapping
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, his deputy D K Shivakumar, Congress general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala, along with party legislators and MPs, were on Tuesday taken into preventive custody after they decided to march towards Lok Bhavan as part of "Raj Bhavan Chalo" protest.
The protest was against the Centre's move to replace MGNREGA with VB-G RAM G.
The Congress leaders were stopped by police when they attempted to proceed towards Lok Bhavan, alleging that the Union government was dismantling the rural employment guarantee framework and curtailing the rights of Panchayats.
The leaders boarded a bus deployed by the police outside the venue after delivering their speech and courted arrest.
Addressing protesters before being detained, Siddaramaiah said this 'Ram' in VB-G RAM G is not Dasharath Ram or Seeta Ram. It stands for Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Aajivika Mission (Gramin).
He said MGNREGA was a right to livelihood and employment, introduced by the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government, and accused the Centre of trying to destroy it.
"MGNREGA was the right of the people, but not any more. Around five crore people, including the differently-abled, were getting employment in the rural areas. The Centre now wants to decide what work should be done, whereas earlier it was done by Panchayats," Siddaramaiah alleged, adding that the role of Panchayats had been severely curtailed.
The chief minister further claimed that each Panchayat was earlier getting around Rs one crore. Now they will be deprived of it.
"We will fight until VB-G RAM G is revoked and MGNREGA is re-established. VB-G RAM G does not guarantee employment the way MGNREGA did," he said.
Accusing the BJP of attacking rural India, Siddaramaiah said, "Gandhiji said unless villages develop, the nation cannot develop. By scrapping MGNREGA, the BJP has killed Mahatma Gandhi once again."
He called upon people for agitation in every village across the state.
Surjewala, who is also Karnataka in-charge, alleged that the Centre was bent on scrapping the rural employment guarantee scheme. "The Union government wants to dismantle MGNREGA. I urge the Karnataka government to rename Panchayat centres as 'Mahatma Gandhi Kendra'."
Shivakumar warned of political consequences for the BJP, saying, "By scrapping MGNREGA, the BJP has invited trouble for itself. People in rural areas will not accept VB-G RAM G, and they will not pardon the BJP for repealing the employment guarantee law."
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Polling begins for 152 assembly seats in 1st phase of Bengal elections
Kolkata (PTI): Voting began on Thursday in 152 constituencies in the first phase of the West Bengal assembly elections, amid unprecedented security arrangements and a high-stakes battle that could shape the direction of the entire contest.
Polling started at 7 am with voters queueing up outside booths in districts ranging from Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri in the north to Murshidabad, Nadia, Birbhum and Hooghly in the south.
The opening round covers more than half of the state's 294 assembly seats and is being seen as the BJP's best opportunity to make an early breakthrough and the ruling Trinamool Congress' most important test in its bid for a fourth consecutive term.
According to the Election Commission, over 3.60 crore electors are eligible to vote in this phase, including around 1.75 crore women and 465 third-gender voters.
A record 2,450 companies of central paramilitary forces, comprising nearly 2.5 lakh personnel, have been deployed across the state for the polls, with over 8,000 polling stations identified as highly sensitive.
The Election Commission has placed districts such as Malda, Murshidabad, Uttar Dinajpur, Cooch Behar, Birbhum and Purba Bardhaman under special surveillance.
More than 2,193 quick response teams, surveillance units and flying squads have also been deployed to prevent violence and ensure free and fair polling.
The first phase assumes political significance because it includes all 54 seats in north Bengal, the region that powered the BJP's rise in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and helped it emerge as the principal challenger to the TMC in the 2021 assembly polls.
Of the 152 seats, the BJP had won 59 in 2021, while the TMC had secured 93.
For the saffron camp, retaining its dominance in north Bengal is crucial if it is to remain in contention in the statewide battle. For the TMC, led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, preventing a BJP sweep in the north is equally important to establish momentum before the second round.
This phase is also being closely watched because it comes after the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, which resulted in the deletion of around 91 lakh names from the state's voter list.
The controversy has sharply polarised the campaign, with the BJP alleging that the revision weeded out infiltrators and bogus voters, while the TMC has accused the Centre and the Election Commission of disenfranchising genuine electors, especially minorities and migrant workers.
Several high-profile candidates are in the fray in the first phase.
Key candidates in this phase include leader of the opposition Suvendu Adhikari (BJP, Nandigram), former Union minister Nisith Pramanik (BJP, Mathabhanga), state minister Udayan Guha (TMC, Dinhata), Goutam Deb (TMC, Siliguri), and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury (Congress, Baharampur).
The second phase of polling will be held on April 29. Counting of votes will take place on May 4.
