All Karnataka gram panchayats to be named after Gandhi, says CM Siddaramaiah

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday announced that all gram panchayats in the state will be named after MK Gandhi, The Indian Express reported.

An announcement to this effect will be made during the Budget Session of the state Assembly, he said.

Siddaramaiah made the statement at a rally organised by the Congress’ state unit to protest the Union government’s decisions to repeal the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and replace it with the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin). The Congress, along with several other Opposition parties, has objected to removing Gandhi’s name from the scheme.

On Tuesday, Siddaramaiah reiterated this criticism at the “MNREGA Bachao Sangram” rally held at Bengaluru’s Freedom Park.

“The BJP government cannot tolerate Mahatma Gandhi’s name,” he was quoted as saying by Deccan Herald. “They intentionally named the new scheme with the word ‘Ram’ to play on people’s mind. But it is neither ‘Dasharatha Ram’, ‘Kaushalya Ram’ nor ‘Sita Ram’. There is no Ram in this Act.”

Siddaramaiah alleged that the BJP scrapped welfare measures for the underprivileged because of its ideological parent, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. “[The RSS] wants the poor to remain poor,” he was quoted as saying by the Deccan Herald. “Only Congress thinks of the poor.”

A delegation of Congress leaders, including Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, met Karnataka Governor...

Read more