Kumaraswamy Challenges Congress for Open Debate on ‘VBG-Ram-G’ Scheme

Bengaluru: Union Heavy Industries and Steel Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Saturday accused the Congress party of spreading false narratives about the ‘Viksit Bharat G-Ram-G’ (VBG-Ram-G) scheme. He challenged Congress leaders in Karnataka to an open public debate to expose their falsehoods with evidence.

Earlier, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress president D.K. Shivakumar had challenged leaders from BJP and JD(S) over the Centre’s decision to discontinue MGNREGA and launch the G-Ram-G scheme.

Responding to Kumaraswamy’s invitation for a discussion on the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), Chief Minister Siddaramaiah expressed readiness for the debate and added that if necessary, a large agitation would be launched.

Addressing a joint press conference in Bengaluru alongside opposition leader R. Ashoka and BJP state president B.Y. Vijayendra, Kumaraswamy expressed strong displeasure over the misinformation spread by Congress about the Central government’s scheme under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.

Accusations Against Congress

Kumaraswamy stated, “The era has passed when people blindly believed Congress’s lies.” He criticized Congress for naming major schemes after Nehru family members rather than Mahatma Gandhi during their decades-long rule, calling it a betrayal of Gandhi’s legacy. He asserted that Congress lacked the moral right to speak about Gandhi.

He demanded an open debate on the G-Ram-G scheme, saying, “We are not running away. You allege wrongdoing with panchayats but postpone elections. It is shameful. You are trying to spoil the good environment in the state.”

Recalling his tenure as Chief Minister, Kumaraswamy mentioned a delay of ₹800 crore in MGNREGA funds, during which his government paid wages from the state treasury. He criticized the current government’s lack of awareness about fund releases, noting that the present Revenue Minister was the Rural Development Minister in his cabinet.

Call for Responsibility and Accountability

Kumaraswamy emphasized the significance of invoking Lord Ram’s name to establish Ram Rajya and urged the state government to take responsibility by contributing 40% funding towards the scheme. He called on Siddaramaiah to accept this responsibility.

He sharply criticized Congress, saying, “As if external propaganda was not enough, now they are calling assembly sessions and planning foot marches. For what courage? Was it not enough to loot public money through fake MGNREGA bills?”

Questioning Congress’s governance, he asked whether poor daily wage workers ever received justice under their rule and why they failed to prevent fake bills and identify fake job cards. “What were they doing all these years?” he questioned.

This development comes amid ongoing political tussles in Karnataka over rural employment schemes, with both parties holding firm positions and preparing for further confrontation.