Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], December 28 : Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and Congress leader DK Shivakumar on Sunday hailed the party's history on its 140th Foundation Day, announcing that he has written a book on Mahatma Gandhi.
Taking a jibe at the BJP for replacing MGNREGA with the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, the Congress leader asked, "Is it possible to remove Mahatma Gandhi's name from history?"
He added that he had planned to build 100 Congress offices, out of which 70 have been completed.
DK Shivakumar said, "In Congress, those who sit on the stage are not leaders; the workers working at the booth level are the real leaders, and our Congress party was established 140 years ago. We are called Congresspeople. This history is not for others."
"What history does the BJP have? We were born for the independence of this country. Is it possible to remove Mahatma Gandhi's name from history? I have written a book on Gandhi. I will have it released by President Mallikarjun Kharge. I have planned to build 100 Congress offices; 70 have already been built. We are going to build state and district Congress buildings in Bengaluru. We will discuss this in the next cabinet," he said.
Congress party members have consistently opposed renaming MGNREGA to the G-Ram-G Bill, which was ultimately passed in both houses of the Parliament. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday announced that the party will launch a nationwide 'Save MNREGA' campaign from January 5, making the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) the central focus of a mass movement.
The Indian National Congress celebrated its Foundation Day today. The party was founded on December 28, 1885, in Bombay (Mumbai) in the presence of 72 delegates at the Das Tejpal Sanskrit College. Its founder, General Secretary, was AO Hume, and Vyomesh Chandra Banerjee was made president.