New Delhi: The Congress has vowed to employ all democratic avenues to press for the full restoration of the Mahatma Gandhi National Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), decrying its replacement by the BJP’s Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) or VB-G RAM G Act as an assault on rural workers’ rights.
Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate declared, “We will use all democratic means — Parliament protests, rallies, and grassroots campaigns — to reverse this rollback,” amid the ongoing ‘MGNREGA Bachao Sangram’ launched on January 10, a report quoted her as saying.
The UPA-era law guaranteed 100 days of wage employment annually within 15 days of demand, empowering over 180 crore workdays since 2006 for women, Dalits, and small farmers. Leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi criticised the VB-G RAM G for diluting entitlements: work becomes discretionary, wages drop below notified minimums for 10 months yearly without revisions, and states shoulder 40% costs versus Centre’s 60%—upending MGNREGA’s 75:25 split. Gandhi warned repeal harks to “Maharajas’ era,” citing worker pleas of enslavement under the new regime.
Another report said that Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah alleged RSS orchestration, noting gram panchayats lose authority to contractors, risking exploitation, migration, and panchayat irrelevance. Gyamar Tana of Arunachal PCC demanded Rs 400 daily minimum as per 2024 manifesto, instead of Rs 241, while Gram Sabhas in Jharkhand and elsewhere rejected VB-G RAM G via resolutions. Sandeep Dikshit of Rachnatmak Congress highlighted Covid-era lifeline status, with nationwide worker dialogues amplifying calls.
The Centre rebuffed restoration pleas at all-party meets, fueling Opposition fury even as the budget session began on Wednesday. Congress eyes mass agitations, tying the fight to broader anti-people policies amid rural distress. “Farmers, laborers, women must unite until MGNREGA returns,” Shrinate urged, as protests swell from Itanagar to Bengaluru.
