Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has seized on reports that his Andhra Pradesh counterpart, N Chandrababu Naidu, is worried about the funding of the new VB-G RAM G Act, calling the move a "clear rupture" within the NDA. Taking to X, formerly Twitter, on Friday, Siddaramaiah argued that if even a critical Bharatiya Janata Party ally like Naidu is flagging the financial burden on states, it proves the law is fundamentally flawed and should be scrapped.
Siddaramaiah didn't hold back in pointing out the irony, noting that when Congress-led states like Karnataka raised these exact same concerns months ago, they were dismissed as mere political noise. He argued that the new Act effectively kills the spirit of the old MGNREGA, which treated rural employment as a legal right backed by central money. Now, he claims, that certainty has been replaced by a system where states have to bargain for funds, turning a "guaranteed right" into a matter of political negotiation.
The Karnataka CM expressed particular concern that funding might now depend on "coalition arithmetic" rather than the law. He suggested that if a state’s access to funds is determined by its political alignment with the Centre, opposition-ruled states like Karnataka will inevitably be left at a disadvantage. "Employment security cannot be converted into a negotiable arrangement," he said, demanding that the Centre stop offering "selective concessions" behind closed doors.
Calling for a return to the MGNREGA framework, Siddaramaiah urged Naidu and other NDA partners to take their grievances to Parliament rather than settling for private assurances. He emphasised that true cooperative federalism can only exist when funding is guaranteed and all states are treated equally, regardless of who they are allied with in New Delhi.
Also read: No CBI probe into Ballari violence, says Siddaramaiah
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