Bengaluru, 28 Dec

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and senior Congress leader DK Shivakumar on Sunday hailed the Indian National Congress’ legacy on its 140th Foundation Day and launched a sharp attack on the BJP over changes to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

Taking a jibe at the Centre for replacing MGNREGA with the Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, Shivakumar questioned whether Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy could be erased. “Is it possible to remove Mahatma Gandhi's name from history?” he asked.

Highlighting the party’s grassroots strength, Shivakumar said Congress workers, not leaders on the dais, were the backbone of the organisation. “In Congress, those who sit on the stage are not leaders; the workers working at the booth level are the real leaders, and our Congress party was established 140 years ago. We are called Congresspeople. This history is not for others,” he said.

Drawing a contrast with the BJP, he added, “What history does the BJP have? We were born for the independence of this country. Is it possible to remove Mahatma Gandhi's name from history? I have written a book on Gandhi. I will have it released by President Mallikarjun Kharge.”

Shivakumar also spoke about strengthening the party’s organisational infrastructure, stating that he had planned to build 100 Congress offices, of which 70 had already been completed. He said the party would also construct state and district Congress buildings in Bengaluru and that the matter would be discussed in the next Cabinet meeting.

Meanwhile, the Congress has intensified its opposition to the renaming of MGNREGA. Party president Mallikarjun KhargeMallikarjun Kharge on Saturday announced a nationwide ‘Save MNREGA’ campaign beginning 5 January, making the employment guarantee scheme the focal point of a mass movement.

The Indian National Congress was founded on 28 December 1885, in Bombay, now Mumbai, with AO Hume as its founder-general secretary and Vyomesh Chandra Banerjee as its first president.