National News
Congress to Launch ‘MGNREGA Bachao Abhiyan’ from January 5 Against Repeal of Rural Jobs Law
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge announced a nationwide campaign from January 5 against the repeal of MGNREGA, calling it an attack on the constitutional right to work.
The Congress will launch a nationwide campaign against the repeal of the UPA-era rural employment law MGNREGA from January 5, party president Mallikarjun Kharge announced on Saturday, warning that the move has angered people and the Narendra Modi government will have to face the consequences.
The VB-G RAM G Act, which replaces the nearly 20-year-old Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), was passed during the recently concluded Winter Session of Parliament amid strong opposition protests. The new legislation provides for 125 days of wage employment for rural workers.
Addressing a press conference after a meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), Kharge said the party would spearhead a nationwide “MGNREGA Bachao Abhiyan”.
He said MGNREGA was not merely a welfare scheme but a constitutional “Right to Work”. “People are angry over the repeal of MGNREGA, and the government will have to face the consequences of this decision,” he said.
“At the CWC meeting, we took a pledge to launch a mass movement with MGNREGA at its core. The Congress will lead this fight and begin the ‘MGNREGA Bachao Abhiyan’ from January 5,” Kharge added.
Criticising the cost-sharing provisions under the new VB-G RAM G Act, the Congress chief said it would impose an additional financial burden on state governments and described it as a unilateral decision taken without adequate consultation.
“This law has been brought to crush the poor. We will fight against it both on the streets and in Parliament,” Kharge asserted.
