Stalin accuses EPS of defending Centre’s decision on MGNREGS

Chennai, Dec 23 Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on AIADMK general secretary and Leader of the Opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS), accusing him of spreading falsehoods and failing to stand up to the BJP-led Union government over what he described as the systematic dilution of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS).

In a strongly worded post on social media platform X, Stalin said that even the legally mandated guarantee of 100 days of employment under MGNREGS was not being implemented properly by the Centre.

He pointed out that workers across the country continue to face chronic delays in wage payments, undermining the very purpose of the scheme. Referring to the Union government’s claim that a new framework would provide up to 125 days of work, the Chief Minister questioned its credibility.

“When the BJP government could not ensure even 100 days of employment guaranteed by law, how can anyone believe that 125 days of work will be provided under a new scheme riddled with conditions?” he asked.

Stalin alleged that the Centre had effectively abdicated its responsibility towards rural employment by weakening the scheme’s core guarantees.

“The Union government no longer assures even a single day of work. This is nothing but a betrayal of rural workers who depend on MGNREGS for survival,” he said.

Targeting Palaniswami directly, the Chief Minister recalled the AIADMK leader’s earlier claim that he had pressured the Centre not to remove Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the scheme.

“What happened to that influence? The Centre does not appear to attach even the slightest importance to you,” Stalin remarked, questioning Palaniswami’s standing with the BJP leadership.

The Chief Minister also criticised the Centre’s decision to shift 40 per cent of the financial burden of MGNREGS onto State governments, calling it an authoritarian move that had not been rolled back.

“No one expected you to have the courage to question Delhi,” he said, addressing the Opposition leader.

“But at the very least, you could have refrained from defending it,” he said.

Stalin said that by supporting the BJP government’s policies, which he claimed were “digging a grave” for MGNREGS, Palaniswami was undermining a programme that had played a crucial role in poverty alleviation and in safeguarding the dignity of rural citizens.

“In doing so, you are writing the conclusion of your own political life,” he said.

--IANS

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