Hyderabad: Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka on Thursday accused the BJP of being more dangerous to the nation than British imperialism. He cited its sustained assault on the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). This BJP attack on MGNREGS, according to him, signals a threat.
Bhatti Vikramarka accused the BJP of sabotaging MGNREGS and said it’s more dangerous to India than British imperialism. Addressing Congress cadres, Bhatti said that while British colonial rule never laid a hand on Mahatma Gandhi despite multiple agitations, Gandhi was assassinated within six months of Independence. He noted this was done by individuals driven by RSS ideology. He argued that this ideology now fuels the BJP. This makes it a greater threat to national integrity than the former imperial rulers.
BJP diluting job scheme inspired by Gandhi
He alleged that the BJP government is systematically dismantling MGNREGS, a landmark welfare law inspired by Gandhian ideals and enacted by the Congress. Bhatti said Telangana remains the only state to have unanimously passed a resolution. This was done in its Assembly opposing the Centre’s attempt to dilute the employment guarantee act. The resolution was a direct response to the BJP attack on MGNREGS.
He criticized the BJP for failing to introduce any progressive welfare law of its own. He accused it instead of repealing every Congress-era reform. Bhatti highlighted that under the BJP’s revised version of the employment scheme, laborers are denied work for 60 days during agricultural seasons. This situation pushes them into urban migration and wage exploitation, reflecting aspects of the BJP attack on MGNREGS.
The Deputy Chief Minister further stated that the BJP amendments have opened the door for contractors. This has led to eroding labor protections and handing control of rural employment to private interests. He called this a deliberate move to weaken workers’ rights through the BJP attack on MGNREGS.
He also raised concerns over the altered funding model. While MGNREGS was originally a 100% Centrally funded scheme, it now requires a 60:40 Centre-State cost split. According to Bhatti, if a State fails to release its 40% share, the Centre withholds its contribution. This disrupts work in BJP-ruled States that purposely do not release their share.
Bhatti accused the Centre of fiscal discrimination, pointing out that for every ₹100 collected in taxes, northern States receive ₹300 in return while Telangana gets just ₹45. He claimed that southern States, where Congress has a strong presence, face systematic cuts in Central allocations.
He urged Congress leaders to launch a door-to-door campaign across Telangana villages. This is to expose the BJP’s employment law and explain how it differs from the Congress-led MGNREGS.