The Karnataka Congress is taking its fight against the Centre to the streets, announcing a statewide five-kilometer "padayatra" in every assembly constituency. The protests are a direct response to the Union government’s plan to scrap the MGNREGA and replace it with the new VB-GRAM G Act— a move the Congress claims will strip rural workers of their right to guaranteed employment.
Following a strategy session with the AICC in New Delhi on Sunday, State Congress Chief and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar upped the ante, declaring that party workers would gherao either the Bharatiya Janata Party state headquarters or the Raj Bhavan on January 27. Randeep Singh Surjewala and potentially KC Venugopal, are expected to join the demonstration.
This isn't just happening on the streets; the battle is also moving to the Assembly. The state government has already summoned a special joint session from January 22 to 30 specifically to debate the repeal. Shivakumar noted that the party is working from the ground up, mobilising workers to pass resolutions against the Centre's move in every single panchayat across Karnataka.
However, the political buzz in Delhi wasn't just about policy. Shivakumar, who has long been at the center of leadership speculation in Karnataka, remained cryptic when asked if he used the trip to lobby the high command for the Chief Minister's post. "Time will provide answers for everything," he told reporters, dismissively adding that his visits to the capital are a routine mix of government and party business. "Why should the media make it a big thing?" he asked while refusing to confirm that which senior leaders he met behind closed doors.
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