K'taka Cong to protest against replacing MGNREGA, 'hate politics' in National Herald case
Belagavi (Karnataka) (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Tuesday said that the ruling Congress in the state will hold protests against the central government's move to replace the existing rural employment law MGNREGA, and the alleged "hate politics" against the party leadership in the National Herald case on December 17.
The state Congress president said that the protest led by him and CM Siddaramaiah will be held in front of Gandhi state at Suvarna Vidhana Soudha here on Wednesday, and similar protests will also be held at all district and taluka centres of the state.
The party also plans to raise the issues in the state legislature here.
"The agitation has become necessary. Tomorrow at 9.30 am, the chief minister, myself, all ministers, MLAs and MLCs will stage a protest in front of the Gandhi statue. Everyone will participate," Shivakumar said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said the protests will also be held in all district and taluk centres including Bengaluru, and there is also a plan for a programme on Saturday, details of which will be shared later.
"In Assembly too there is a need to discuss this and for it to go into records, we are making preparations for it....the protest is against removing Mahatma Gandhi's name from MGNREGA, and against the hate politics towards Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Congress leaders," he added.
The Congress' move, came as the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025, that seeks to replace the existing rural employment law MGNREGA, was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday amid strong objections by the opposition to the "removal" of Mahatma Gandhi's name from it.
Also, a court in Delhi on Tuesday refused to take cognisance of the Enforcement Directorate's money laundering charge against Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, and five others in the National Herald case.
Alleging that Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi were "harassed" in connection with the National Herald case, Shivakumar said several people, including him, had given funds to help the party related organisation, and they too were being troubled.
"My brother D K Suresh (former MP) and I were supposed to appear before the Delhi police in connection with the National Herald case. We had written a letter to them seeking a FIR copy. Chargesheet was filed by ED in the case without an FIR," he claimed.
Pointing to the Delhi Court's decision, the Deputy CM said, "This is proof that the legal system in the country is still alive. This also proves that the power is being misused (by those in the central government) to harass political opponents."
Highlighting that former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru started the National Herald in 1937, and that it is Congress' property, Shivakumar, questioning the validity of the ED case, said, "As Congress presidents (in past) Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi had their shares, it was not their own. Similarly, if we as Congress workers don't donate to the party organisation, who else will?"
Shivakumar also said that the move to rename MNREGA is with an intention to "insult" Gandhi and to weaken the scheme by reducing its funding.
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''NDA''s betrayal includes strangling MSMEs'' amid West Asia crisis, alleges Stalin at poll rally
Erode (Tamil Nadu) (PTI): DMK President, Chief Minister M K Stalin, on Thursday, alleged that the NDA's betrayals include 'strangling' the MSMEs during the ongoing West Asia crisis.
Addressing an election rally here, Stalin alleged AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami had no achievements to claim for his government during 2017-21; neither does PM Modi, who comes on "election tours" to Tamil Nadu.
Ridiculing the slow pace of work to build Madurai AIIMS, as that project was announced by the Centre about a decade ago, the CM said: "If they think they can claim an achievement, let them look at the Madurai AIIMS, being built brick by brick, one brick after the other. That is an achievement." Other than the "achievement" of building AIIMS for about 10 years, they had nothing to boast about at all, he sarcastically said.
"We have a list of their betrayals (of NDA). Shall I list them?" Stalin asked, and alleged that the denial to scrap NEET and declining of new Metro rail projects were betrayals. "Abolishing" MGNREGA, amending the Citizenship Act, and the enactment of 3-farm laws --which were later scrapped-- were also "betrayals," he said.
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He also listed other alleged "betrayals" of "failure to protect weavers" from US tariffs and crippling micro, small, and medium enterprises due to the West Asian war.
The Dravidian party chief, however, did not elaborate on either the weavers vis-à-vis the US tariff issue or the matter involving MSMEs.
Furthermore, the DMK chief slammed the "betrayal" of withholding education funds due to children in order to impose Hindi, not providing GST compensation and snatching away state rights.
Hence, Palaniswami and his party's ally BJP, are the very embodiment of "betrayals" and the NDA allies "stand in the dock" before the people of Tamil Nadu, having committed "betrayal after betrayal," Stalin claimed.
Hitting out at AIADMK chief for targeting the DMK regime over women's safety, at his Sivaganga rally on April 1, 2026, Stalin listed a slew of ongoing welfare schemes for the benefit of women, including fare-free bus and Rights payout of Rs 1,000 per month.
He said that law and order maintenance was good in Tamil Nadu, and women go for work boldly as they are safe, while industries troop to Tamil Nadu with investment. The efficiency of a government is measured by how swiftly action is taken, and criminals are punished when a crime occurs. From that perspective, it is under the Dravidian model government that charge sheets have been filed within 60 days in over 86 per cent of cases, the chief minister asserted.
The CM said: "This growth of Tamil Nadu irritates Palaniswami, the branch secretary of the BJP. Out of jealousy, he is spreading lies and rumours as the DMK does not allow him to win even one election."
He asked if Palaniswami had any locus standi to speak about women's safety and listed crimes against women reported during the AIADMK regime, including the sensational Pollachi sexual assault case and the sufferings of the victims.
"Did that outcry of Pollachi victims not shake Palaniswami's conscience? What kind of dramas did Palaniswami stage in the Pollachi case? First, he delayed filing the case... then, they let the accused escape. They publicly revealed the names of the victimised women and issued threats. However, it is the Dravidian model of governance that handled that case properly, secured life sentences for the criminals, and obtained a compensation of Rs 85 lakh for the victims," Stalin said.
The CM also listed cases, including one in which a woman police SP was the victim at the hands of a higher police official and the manner in which the conviction was secured. In fact, the CM said there was a long history of crimes against women during successive AIADMK regimes and the mega list includes the burning of three girl students in a bus in Dharmapuri and the acid attack on a woman IAS officer. It was the DMK regime that enacted laws/ amendments to ensure upto death penalty for crimes against women.
"Women's safety was a question mark under Palaniswami's rule. It is the Dravidian model government that protects women, enables them to go to colleges and workplaces with dignity, and stands as a true friend. Thinking that all these facts can be hidden by spreading fake news and slander, Palaniswami is now wandering in a fantasy castle, dreaming of bringing the BJP's NDA government to TN and plundering the state," the DMK chief alleged.
"While the DMK-led alliance was firmly bonded by ideology, the NDA was not so," Stalin said. He also alleged that in 2016, Amit Shah had termed the AIADMK cabinet as full of corrupt leaders.
The same corrupt group now stands with Amit Shah, the CM alleged.
Beginning with Palaniswami, who allegedly awarded tenders to a relative --Sambandhi-- about a dozen AIADMK ministers were involved in alleged scams like illegal sale of gutka and irregularities in award of tenders for local bodies, Stalin claimed.
Without directly naming NDA partners, AMMK chief TTV Dhinakaran (for an alleged bribe several years ago to influence the Election Commission) and PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss (alleged irregularities involving medical college admissions), Stalin said such people, "who should be in the dock, have come together to deceive the people". He ridiculed NDA's double engine mantra, termed it as 'dabba engine' and asserted that NDA will be routed in the Assembly polls.
