Harbhajan Singh E.T.O. backs Punjab Assembly resolution against MGNREGA replacement law, calling it anti-poor, anti-Dalit, and a violation of federalism.
Cabinet Minister Harbhajan Singh E.T.O. supported the resolution against the new law replacing the MGNREGA Act that was moved in the Punjab Legislative Assembly today under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann. He stated that the elimination of the MGNREGA scheme is an attempt to deny the poor their means of subsistence.
He claimed that by infringing on the rights of the States, the Central Government is behaving contrary to the ideals of federalism. This tendency is exemplified by the recent conflicts around Chandigarh, Punjab University, and the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB).The Minister went on to say that the Central Government has been attempting to limit and restrict the authority of the State Governments using a number of pretexts.He stated that the Constitution has comprehensive sections pertaining to Directive Principles and Fundamental Rights.
He added that 29 issues were moved to village panchayats in 1993 as a result of the 73rd Amendment. Building on that foundation, MGNREGA was implemented, allowing village panchayats to design and carry out projects in accordance with local need, with funding allotted for rural development. However, the new law will make it impossible for panchayats to successfully execute the Right to Work because they will no longer be able to act autonomously or create policies that suit their requirements.
The Minister stated that while Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, the architect of the Constitution, intended cooperative federalism, the Government of India Act, 1935, represented a confrontational form of federalism. Nonetheless, it appears that the current Central Government is committed to indirectly reimposing the 1935 Act’s spirit. He claimed that a politics of antagonism between the Union and the States is being fostered by the Center.
He added that since around 73% of MGNREGA employees are Dalit, the new law is anti-Dalit in nature.