Bengaluru, 12 Jan

AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar would be called to New Delhi for discussions whenever necessary, amid a "power tussle" within the ruling Congress.

Kharge said, "Whenever necessary, the party would call them," in response to a question from reporters on when the CM and Deputy CM would be summoned to Delhi for talks.

The leadership tussle within the ruling party has intensified amid speculation about a possible change of chief minister after the Congress government completed the halfway mark of its five-year term on 20 November.

The speculation has been fuelled by the reported "power-sharing" arrangement between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar at the time of the government’s formation in 2023.

Siddaramaiah, who recently became the longest-serving chief minister of the state, surpassing the record held by Devaraj Urs, has expressed confidence that he will complete the full five-year term. However, he has maintained that the final decision rests with the Congress high command.

Shivakumar, who is also the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president, on Sunday said his hard work had brought him this far in politics and that he was confident about the Congress party’s future decision regarding him.

His remarks are being seen as an assertion of his chief ministerial ambitions.

Kharge slammed the Centre for repealing MGNREGA and replacing it with a new rural employment scheme, VB-G RAM G.

Labelling the BJP "anti-people", he accused Prime Minister Modi of "handing over the country’s resources to big corporates.” 

VB-G RAM G anti-poor and anti-Dalit: Mahadevappa

Karnataka Social Welfare Minister and Mysuru district in-charge HC Mahadevappa on Monday termed the newly enacted Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Aajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM (G)) as anti-poor and anti-Dalit.

Speaking to reporters here, Mahadevappa said that even though MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) had helped crores of people every year, especially during the Covid pandemic, the Union government scrapped it due to its alleged hatred towards Gandhi Ji.

The minister condemned the Centre’s decision to replace MNREGA with VB-G RAM G. He alleged that the new law deprives agriculture labourers belonging to all communities of livelihood opportunities. He said the Act would also increase the financial burden of every state.