Congress Steps Up MGNREGA Protest In Jammu Kashmir, Plans Assembly Gherao And Panchayat Outreach
Congress’s protest campaign already started on Thursday (January 8) with a nationwide workshop on MGNREGA Bachao Sangram.
By ETV Bharat Jammu & Kashmir Team
Published : January 9, 2026 at 6:02 PM IST
Jammu: The Congress Party has decided to intensify its campaign against the scrapping of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and will reach out to the people at the Panchayat levels, besides planning to surround the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly.
Addressing a press conference in Jammu today, All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary in charge of J&K affairs and Member of Rajya Sabha, Sayeed Naseer Hussain, said that till the time the government of India restores MGNREGA, the Congress party will continue to protest and push for it.
“We are holding national-level agitation against the decision of the government and will mobilise the people till the decision is rolled back so that MGNREGA is brought back in its original form. We are ready for further discussions, sending MGNREGA to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) and improving it, but we will have to bring back MGNREGA,” he said.
Congress’s protest campaign already started on Thursday (January 8) with a nationwide workshop on MGNREGA Bachao Sangram. It will be followed by press conferences on January 11 at district headquarters on MGNREGA, a fast on January 12, symbolic protests outside district headquarters from January 13 to 29, and panchayat outreach programmes in which pamphlets will be distributed and social and cultural events will be held to make people aware of MGNREGA.
“On January 30, protests will be held at ward levels, and these will be monitored by the party, and from January 31 to February 6, programmes of surrounding district collectors' offices will be held across Jammu and Kashmir,” Hussain said.
“Somewhere between February 7 and 15, the party is planning to surround the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly so that awareness is created. After that, we will be participating in the zonal-level rally,” he said.
Congress is also planning to raise the issue again in the parliament. All the former ministers, sitting MLAs, former MLAs, district presidents and other senior leaders will be appointed as observers to oversee these events, according to Hussain.
He said that besides these programmes, the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) had started a programme called Hamari Riyasat Hamara Haq, and a programme was held at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. Besides, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi had written to the Prime Minister about restoring the statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
"It looks like they don't have any intention to restore the statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. We will intensify this campaign, and we will take it to every household under the programme 'Har Ghar Dastak, Ghar Ghar Dastak' to make people aware of the statehood demand. Both these things will run simultaneously besides other organisational issues," he said.
Commenting on the MBBS seats issue in Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME), the AICC General Secretary said that the NEET examination was held and selection was based on merit, but such a colour was given to this issue, which led to polarisation on the ground.
“The shocking part is that if the central government felt that the institute was being run on the donations being offered to Vaishno Devi, they should have given it a minority institution status and character like many institutions being run in South India. And such a solution should have been thought of, which should have balanced the money coming from the temple,” he said.
The Congress leader said the decision was taken in haste, which will cast a shadow on the future of students. “These are some major questions arising out of the decision in front of the central government, and the matter should have been dealt with rightly,” Hussain said.
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