MGNREGA Is Legal Guarantee, Not Charity: Kharge Outlines Key Demands Of Congress

New Delhi: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday placed three key demands of the party — withdrawal of the VB GRAM G Act, restoration of MGNREGA as a rights-based law and restoration of the Right to Work and Panchayats’ authority.

He said the MGNREGA Bachao Sangram was launched for that purpose, stressing that the scheme was "not a charity but a legal guarantee".

"MGNREGA is not charity. It is a legal guarantee. Crores of poorest people got work in their own villages; MGNREGA reduced hunger and distress migration, raised rural wages, and strengthened women's economic dignity," Kharge said in an X post.

He alleged that the VB GRAM G Act threatens to dismantle the rights-based structure of MGNREGA by replacing guaranteed work with discretion, centralising control and weakening Gram Sabhas and states. "VB GRAM G is designed to dismantle this right. Congress opposes it because work will no longer be a guaranteed right, only a permission in selected Panchayats. Budgets will be capped, so work ends when money ends, even during a crisis. Delhi will decide funds and works, pushing Gram Sabhas and Panchayats into irrelevance. A 60-day work blackout will legalise the denial of work during peak distress. Wages will become uncertain and suppressible instead of being a protected entitlement. States will be forced to fund 40%, weakening federalism and harming poor states. Technology will exclude workers through biometric and app-based barriers. Village assets will be replaced by contractor-style projects," Kharge said.

"Attacking MGNREGA is attacking crores of workers and their Constitutional Rights. We will RESIST, peacefully and firmly, from every Panchayat to Parliament," he added.

The demands come after Congress announced a nationwide three-phase agitation titled "MGNREGA Bachao" against the newly enacted VB-G Ram G bill.

Addressing a press conference at the party's office in New Delhi, Congress general secretaries KC Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh accused the Centre of attempting to centralise the employment guarantee scheme and acting arbitrarily.

"MGNREGA, enacted in 2005 by the (previous) UPA Government, is a rights-based law that guarantees every rural household the legal right to demand wage employment. The State was statutorily bound to employ within 15 days of demand, failing which, unemployment allowance was payable. This legal entitlement was the defining feature of MGNREGA," Venugopal said.

Asserting that MGNREGA has been the cornerstone of rural livelihood security, employing 5-6 crore families annually, reducing distress migration, raising rural wages, and creating durable community assets, he added, "Its demand-driven design, assured wages, and direct bank payments have particularly benefitted women, Dalits, Adivasis and marginalised communities, with women accounting for nearly 60% of total workdays."

Referring to the new act, Venugopal said, "The new VB GRAM G Act represents a fundamental departure from this framework. It removes the legal guarantee of work, centralises decision-making with the Union government, weakens Gram Sabhas and Panchayats, and reduces the Centre's wage contribution from nearly 90% to 60%, thereby shifting the financial burden onto states and workers."

"Budget-capped allocations, restrictions on work during peak agricultural seasons, and dilution of wage safeguards will inevitably lead to reduced employment, suppressed wages and increased rural distress. Moreover, the removal of Mahatma Gandhi's name from the programme further reflects an attempt to dilute the values of dignity of labour and village self-rule that underpin MGNREGA," he said.

Congress general secretaries Jairam Ramesh and KC Venugopal at a press conference in party headquarters in New Delhi on Saturday. (PTI)

Recognising the gravity of this "assault" on rural livelihoods, the senior Congress leader said, "Congress Working Committee, in its meeting held on December 27, unanimously resolved to launch a nationwide mass movement titled 'MGNREGA Bachao Sangram' to defend the right to work and restore MGNREGA in its original, rights-based form."

As per the party, Phase I will begin on January 8 with a full-day preparatory meeting at Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) offices in the presence of general secretaries and in-charges. District-level press conference will be held at District Congress Committee (DCC) offices on January 10, followed by a one-day fast at district headquarters on January 11 near the statues of Mahatma Gandhi and BR Ambedkar.

Phase II of the campaign will run from January 12 to January 30. During this period, panchayat-level chaupals will be organised across all gram panchayats, along with the delivery of a letter from the Congress president. "Vidhan Sabha-level nukkad sabhas and pamphlet distribution are also planned. On January 30, Martyr's Day, the party will hold peaceful sit-ins at the ward level with MGNREGA workers," Venugopal said.

"Phase III will begin on January 31 with district-level MNREGA Bachao dharnas at DC/DM offices till February 6. This will be followed by state-level gheraos of Vidha Sabha buildings from February 7 to February 15 and four zonal AICC rallies across the country between February 16 and February 25," he added.

[With agency inputs]

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