Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Jan 10: The Congress on Saturday launched a nationwide campaign titled “MGNREGA Bachao Sangram”, holding press conferences at District Congress Committee offices across the country, and pledged to continue the movement until what it calls the restoration of the constitutional right to work.
Announcing the launch on social media platform X, Congress general secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh said the party was initiating the campaign simultaneously across districts to challenge what it views as the systematic dismantling of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
“The Congress is committed to taking this struggle to its conclusion — until the right to work, livelihood security and accountability, which have been bulldozed by the Modi government through its changes to MGNREGA, are restored,” Ramesh said.
The campaign targets the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB G-RAM G) Act, which the Congress claims effectively weakens and replaces MGNREGA. The party had first announced plans for a nationwide agitation against the law on January 3, during a press briefing in New Delhi addressed by Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh.
Venugopal said the Congress had finalised a comprehensive strategy to defend MGNREGA through sustained nationwide mobilisation. “The Congress National Committee has decided to launch a strong countrywide campaign to save MGNREGA from being dismantled by the VB G-RAM G law,” he said.
Calling the new legislation deeply damaging, Venugopal argued that MGNREGA had played a critical role in reducing hunger, curbing distress migration and building rural infrastructure such as roads, canals and dams. “During the Covid-19 crisis and the economic slowdown, MGNREGA acted as a lifeline for millions,” he said.
He alleged that under the new framework, employment is no longer a legally guaranteed right. “MGNREGA was demand-driven and rights-based. VB G-RAM G introduces budget caps and limits employment to panchayat discretion, stripping rural citizens of their legal entitlement to work,” Venugopal said.
Ramesh further warned that the decentralised structure of MGNREGA was being dismantled, with key decisions being centralised in New Delhi. “Villages will suffer. Several panchayats may receive zero funds,” he claimed.
He also accused the government of violating constitutional norms by failing to consult state governments before implementing the new mechanism. “Article 258 requires consultation between the Centre and states, but this was ignored. This is a constitutional violation,” Ramesh said.
Drawing parallels with the farmers’ protest against the now-repealed farm laws, Ramesh said the MGNREGA movement would be grassroots-driven rather than Delhi-centric. “This agitation will take place at the state, district, block and panchayat levels,” he said.
Reiterating the legacy of MGNREGA, which was enacted in 2005 after extensive parliamentary scrutiny and broad political consensus, Ramesh said the new law undermines rural livelihoods. “This is not Viksit Bharat; this is Vinash Bharat. We demand the restoration of MGNREGA and the protection of rural India,” he asserted.
The Congress said the MGNREGA Bachao Sangram would continue for 45 days and warned that it would explore legal options if necessary. “If needed, we will go to court. The outcome will be the same as the repeal of the three black farm laws,” Ramesh said.