Internal reservation, Cong's poll promises led to BJP's defeat in Karnataka: Party MLAs
Bengaluru(PTI): Along with "internal injury" caused by the internal reservation and people voting for Congress believing in its poll guarantees, a negative narrative setting in against the BJP because of its failure in effectively countering certain issues, led to its defeat in the recent Assembly polls in Karnataka, according to party MLAs.
A meeting of BJP MLAs elected to the 16th Assembly convened by state BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel here, also decided to take the achievements of nine years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government to every house, and to work towards ensuring a hundred per cent win for the party in all 28 Lok Sabha seats in the state.
BJP had won 25 of the 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka in 2019.
"Along with introducing 22 legislators who have been elected for the first time, the meeting today tried to instill confidence among the legislators to work as a constructive opposition by extending all necessary cooperation to the new government to serve the people of the state," BJP national general secretary C T Ravi said.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, he said, "If the government indulges in anti-people activities, if it takes decisions that are detrimental to the state with a hidden agenda, it was decided at the meeting to fight against it both inside and outside the legislature."
Former Chief Ministers B S Yediyurappa, Basavaraj Bommai and Sadananda Gowda, national general secretary in-charge of Karnataka Arun Singh among other senior leaders attended the meeting.
Stating that the meeting also analysed the political situation in the state, the party general secretary said that no ruling party has won a second consecutive term since 1985 in Karnataka.
"There seems to be a natural trend that has set in Karnataka in the last four decades to change the government once in five years, despite that we have won 36 per cent votes, we have got similar vote share we got in 2018, but we lagged behind in gaining seats," he said.
Ravi said, "Along with internal injury caused by the internal reservation and people voting for Congress believing in its guarantees, a negative narrative setting in because of BJP's failure in effectively countering certain issues, led to his party's defeat, was the general opinion expressed in today's meeting."
The BJP will not lose heart with the results and will certainly bounce back as it has done in the past. Our role might have changed from ruling party to opposition, but our commitment towards serving the society has not changed and it will continue to work in that direction, he said.
Regarding who will be the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly and also in the Council, Ravi said general secretary Arun Singh is gathering the opinion of the legislators. On the basis of it and in consultation with the party leadership, a decision will be taken at the earliest, he said.
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Why remove Mahatma Gandhi's name, asks Priyanka on move to replace MGNREGA
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday slammed the government over its move to change the name of MGNREGA, asking what is the government's intention behind removing the name of Mahatma Gandhi who is the tallest leader not just in India but in the world.
A bill to repeal the MGNREGA and bring a new law for rural employment -- Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025 -- is set to be introduced in the Lok Sabha. According to a copy of the bill, it seeks to introduce the VB-G RAM G Bill, 2025, in Parliament and repeal the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) of 2005.
Asked about the government's move, Priyanka Gandhi said, "Whenever the name of a scheme is changed there are so many changes that have to be made in offices, stationery... for which money is spent. So, what is the benefit, why it is being done?"
"Why is Mahatma Gandhi's name being removed. Mahatma Gandhi is considered the tallest leader not just in the country but in the world, so removing his name, I really don't understand what is the objective? What is their intention?" she told reporters in Parliament House complex.
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"Even when we are debating it is on other issues not the real issues of the people. Time is being wasted, money is being wasted, they are disrupting themselves," Priyanka Gandhi added.
The bill aims at establishing a "rural development framework aligned with the national vision of Viksit Bharat 2047", by providing a statutory guarantee of 125 days of wage employment in every financial year to every rural household whose adult members volunteer to undertake unskilled manual work.
The bill has been listed in the Lok Sabha in the supplementary list of business issued on Monday.
Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, in the statement of purpose of the Bill, said MGNREGA has provided guaranteed wage-employment to rural households over the past 20 years.
However, "further strengthening has become necessary in view of the significant socio-economic transformation witnessed in the rural landscape driven by widespread coverage of the social security interventions and saturation-oriented implementation of major government schemes", he said.
