The Indian National Congress (INC) has decided to launch the ‘MGNREGA Bachao’ Andolan from January 5, party president Mallikarjun Kharge said on Saturday, adding that the party will fight against the Viksit Bharat—Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Act both on the streets and in Parliament.
"Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is not just a scheme but the Right to Work given by the Constitution. People are angry over repeal of MGNREGA, govt will have to face the consequences," PTI quoted Kharge as saying at Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting.
"This law has been brought to crush the poor; we will fight against it on the streets and in Parliament," he added.
The Congress President also recalled that the opposition in Parliament had opposed the farmers’ protest against the three farm laws in 2020-21.
Kharge said, “In June 2020, amidst the lockdown, Modi ji brought in an Ordinance and imposed the three black farm laws. Despite opposition from the Opposition in Parliament, the laws were passed. Over 700 farmers who were protesting against it attained martyrdom. The government laid nails, sprayed water cannons, and suppressed them.”
He added that the party had stood firmly with the farmers, noting that the Prime Minister had to apologise and repeal the laws in November 2021. Kharge further mentioned that Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi had predicted the repeal of these “black laws” well in advance and had recently forecast that the Modi government would have to restore MGNREGA.
PM Modi ‘destroyed’ MGNREGA without studying the matter: Gandhi
Rahul Gandhi said that the party would strongly oppose the VB-G RAM G Act and fight against it, expressing confidence that the entire Opposition would come together in resistance. He described the move as a severe blow to states and poor people, alleging that it was pushed through unilaterally by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, similar to demonetisation.
“PM single handedly destroyed MGNREGA without asking his Cabinet, without studying the matter,” claimed Gandhi. He further stated that MGNREGA was not just an employment programme but a development framework that had been widely appreciated across the world. The repeal of MGNREGA is an attack on the rights-based approach and the federal structure, he added.
About the VB-G RAM G Act
The VB-G RAM G Act, which replaces the 20-year-old UPA-era rural employment legislation MGNREGA, was passed in Parliament on December 18 during the recently concluded Winter Session and received the President's assent on December 21 amid strong opposition protests. The new law provides rural workers with 125 days of wage employment.
According to Section 22 of the law, the funding between the Central and State Governments will follow a 60:40 ratio, whereas for the North Eastern States, Himalayan States, and Union Territories (Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir), the ratio will be 90:10.
Section 6 permits state governments to designate, in advance, a period totaling sixty days within a financial year to cover the peak agricultural seasons of sowing and harvesting.
