Tensions boiled over in Karnataka’s twin legislative houses Wednesday, where a resolution blasting the central ‘Viksit Bharat – Grameen Rozgar Act’ sailed through despite opposition uproar. Lawmakers demanded MGNREGA’s original framework be upheld, dubbing the successor ‘VB Jeeram Ji’ and igniting a federal firestorm.
Kharge’s fiery speech invoked Advani’s MGNREGA kudos and Varun Gandhi’s worker advocacy, probing the new act’s substance. He indicted the Modi government for opaque substitutions, bypassing states on pivotal 60:40 finances.
R. Ashok’s riposte was unequivocal: the resolution’s ‘illegal’ haste skipped notices and talks. Championing 125-day entitlements post-consultations, he unleashed data on Congress-era scams—31,624 cases netting 16,019 crore losses in 2023-24, escalating in subsequent years via agent graft and fakes.
Majority votes under Speakers Khader and Horati sealed approval amid walkouts, halting sessions. CM Siddaramaiah assailed Gandhi’s name drop as dishonor, vowing presidential outreach.
This showdown unmasks rifts: Centre’s reform pitch—with workshops and rebrands—clashes with state cries of exclusion. Fiscal hesitancy on shares fuels blame, as a 20-year staple faces makeover. Beyond politics, it spotlights rural job futures—transparency quests versus guarantee safeguards—in India’s evolving welfare landscape.