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New Delhi: The Congress on Saturday announced a nationwide agitation against the repeal of the UPA-era rural employment guarantee law MGNREGA, with party president Mallikarjun Kharge warning that public anger over the move would have political consequences for the Narendra Modi-led government.
Addressing a press conference after a meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), Kharge said the party would roll out a countrywide ‘MGNREGA Bachao Abhiyan’ starting January 5, placing the issue at the centre of its political and mass outreach.
The announcement comes days after Parliament, during the recently concluded Winter Session, passed the VB-G RAM G Act, which replaces the nearly 20-year-old MGNREGA. The legislation was cleared amid strong protests by Opposition parties. While the new law provides for 125 days of wage employment for rural workers, the Congress has alleged that it dilutes the core spirit and legal guarantee of the original programme.
“MGNREGA was not merely a scheme; it was the constitutional Right to Work for the poor,” Kharge said. “People are angry over its repeal. The government will have to face the consequences of this decision.”
He said the CWC had unanimously resolved to make the defence of MGNREGA the focal point of the party’s political mobilisation. “At the CWC meeting, we took an oath that a nationwide campaign would be launched with MGNREGA at its core. The Congress will take the lead and begin the ‘MGNREGA Bachao Abhiyan’ from January 5,” he said.
Targeting the cost-sharing provisions under the new law, Kharge said the VB-G RAM G Act places an additional financial burden on state governments, calling it a unilateral decision taken without adequate consultation with states. “This is a one-sided move that undermines cooperative federalism,” he alleged.
Describing the legislation as anti-poor, the Congress president said the party would oppose it both on the streets and inside Parliament. “This law has been brought to crush the poor. We will fight it politically, legislatively and through mass movements,” Kharge asserted.
The Congress has indicated that the campaign will involve public meetings, grassroots mobilisation in rural areas and sustained parliamentary pressure, signalling that MGNREGA will remain a central political flashpoint in the months ahead.
