The Congress, the Janata Dal (United) and other Left parties joined the CPI(M) at the launch of a nationwide protest against alleged attempts by the Narendra Modi government to dilute rural job guarantee scheme MGNREGA. The Left parties said allocations to the scheme were cut by 50 per cent by the Modi government.
Inaugurating the protest, Tripura Chief Minister and CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Manik Sarkar said the Centre is taking various routes to dilute MGNREGA. The funds for Tripura were reduced by half, he pointed out. “The Centre informed us that it would provide us around ₹650 crore during the current fiscal (2014-15) in spite of a Budget allocation amounting to ₹1,400 crore, which amounts to a 50 per cent cut,” he said.
JD(U) president Sharad Yadav, Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar, CPI general secretary G Sudhakar Reddy and RSP leader Abani Roy addressed the sit-in along with CPI(M) leaders Prakash Karat, Sitaram Yechury and Brinda Karat.
Sarkar said both the UPA and the BJP governments were trying to stop welfare measures for the poor.
“There is no difference in the class approach between the Congress and BJP. Earlier, Congress squeezed the programme and now BJP is doing the same. They should realise that the attack on this programme amounts to attack on the poorest of the poor,” he added.
The Tripura Chief Minister said the Centre should realise that this is not a demand raised by the CPI(M) alone. “This is the demand of common people of the country which is bringing leaders cutting across party lines together. We have not invited them but when they came to know about the demands, they realised that it would be their moral responsibility to come and support the cause,” he said.
The Left MPs raised the issue in both Houses of Parliament with the Government clarifying that that it has no plans to dilute MGNREGA.