Congress Looks At Nationwide Revival, Greater Opposition Unity Through MGNREGA Protests From Jan 8 To Feb 10

New Delhi: The Congress is looking at not only a nationwide mobilization of its organization through the month-long agitation against dilution of the erstwhile rural jobs scheme MGNREGA, but the grand old party is also planning to use the opportunity to forge greater unity among the INDIA bloc.

The Congress would launch a nationwide agitation against the Modi government’s move to rename MGNREGA as VBGRAMG Act 2025 from January 8 to February 10, during which all the state units would actively participate with full strength and demand the scrapping of the new law.

The agitation would involve preparatory meetings at state unit level, district-level pressers, sit-ins at district headquarters, panchayat-level meetings across all village panchayats, delivery of letter from Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and LoP Rahul Gandhi to all village heads, assembly level corner meetings and pamphlet distribution, district level protests at district magistrate offices, state level protests outside assemblies, four zonal rallies across India. The Congress has directed all the states in charge to get involved with the state units and organise protests at the village level to ensure the message goes across to the poor voters.

The Centre had moved a bill to change the rural jobs scheme towards the end of the previous winter session of parliament, but still, the Congress and the other INDIA bloc allies managed to stage a strong protest against the Modi government’s move together. Congress insiders said opposition parties like TMC, DMK, NCSP, SSUBT, RJD, SP, JMM, and the Left parties had opposed the Centre’s move to change the MGNREGA.

As the nationwide Congress agitation will culminate when the budget session of parliament is on, the grand old party strategists have thought of using the opportunity to not only recharge the organization across the country, but an attempt will also be made to broaden the protests by roping in the other INDIA bloc parties and opposition governments in states.

“The month-long, nationwide protests against changing the rural jobs scheme passed by the previous UPA government are special for us as the agitation will help the Congress revive itself across the country. When the new law was passed during the previous parliament session, almost the entire opposition had come out against the Centre’s move. Hence, we will also reach out to the like-minded parties to support our agitation. We will also be in touch with the 9 opposition state governments as the changes made by the Centre have serious financial implications for the states,” Congress Working Committee member Syed Naseer Hussain told ETV Bharat.

According to Hussain, who is also a Rajya Sabha member, the Congress is launching a nationwide agitation as the Modi government has taken away the right to work for the rural poor given by the previous UPA government under the earlier version of the law known as MGNREGA.

“In the earlier law, the poor in the villages had a right to demand work whenever they felt the need. Under the new act, that right has been curtailed. Further, the new law requires state governments to contribute 40 per cent of the funds, which is up by 30 per cent from the previous law and would bring an extra financial burden on the states. I think the Centre has deliberately done this so that the states are compelled to dilute the rural jobs scheme,” said Hussain.

“In contrast, the MGNREGA was passed by the UPA government to cushion the rural poor. It reflected the concern for the poor by our top leaders, then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. The Modi government seems least concerned about the poor and is only interested in helping their rich friends,” he said.

According to AICC in charge of Jharkhand, K Raju, who had earlier supervised the rural jobs scheme as a serving IAS officer in undivided Andhra Pradesh, the scheme not only changed the lives of rural poor in the southern state but also came as a big support to the migrant workers during the COVID pandemic.

“The sudden nationwide lockdown resulting from the pandemic forced millions of workers living in big cities to migrate to their native villages. Till the time they were able to return to the cities to resume their livelihoods, MGNREGA came across as a big financial support system. Earlier, the Modi government had described the scheme as a monumental failure of the UPA government, but it later realised the contribution of the scheme during a national crisis. Instead of strengthening such a scheme, they are weakening it. The Congress will not let that happen,” Raju told ETV Bharat.

“Former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi strengthened the panchayati raj institutions through the 73rd Constitutional Amendment. These bodies played a significant role in pushing MGNREGA, which may be affected due to reduced flow of funds to the local self-governments. The new law removes the certainty of notified, inflation-linked wage rates, allowing the centre to fix removes the certainty of notified, inflation-linked wage rates, allowing the Centre to fix panchayat-specific wages, which could lead to underpayment and income suppression,” he added.