Workers under MGNREGS paid to remain idle: Seeman

Seeman criticizes idle workers under MGNREGS, warns against giving voting rights to migrant workers, and advocates for hard work.

Naam Tamilar Katchi chief coordinator Seeman said workers in the State were being paid wages under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) to remain idle, and migrant workers from North India are utilising the opportunity here.

Campaigning for party candidate M. Karmegam here on Tuesday, he said 80 crore people in the country live in poverty while 28% of the population go to sleep without food. “But the country is paying for being idle,” he said, adding that it is only by working hard that productivity will increase, aiding the country’s development. He quoted that people in Switzerland refused to accept the government’s free offer of a monthly income of ₹6 lakh as they feared that foreigners would take over their jobs and later over the country. “They wanted to work and refused the offer,” he said.

He said migrant workers coming for jobs is not a problem, but warned against giving them ration cards and voting rights and cautioned that they would rule the State one day. He said politicians think only of the coming election whereas leaders think of the next generation and asked people not to sell their votes for money. “If you receive money for casting votes, your poverty problem will be solved for five days, but for five years, you will face irreversible brutality,” he said, adding that the only solution to eradicate poverty is by, “hating the activity of receiving money for votes,”.

The actor-turned-politician claimed that ₹1.30 lakh crore worth drugs were imported through a private port in Gujarat and questioned its whereabouts. “If you (BJP) claim that you are honest, you should conduct an inquiry,” he said. Mr. Seeman said though India is the largest beef exporter in the country, one who eats it is killed in the country. “If you say I should not eat beef, then ensure three meals per day,” he said, and added, “then you can decide what I should eat, which is governance.”