Cong adds creative edge to MGNREGA stir; VB-GRAMG assault on Gandhi, says Kharge
Cong adds creative edge to MGNREGA stir; VB-GRAMG assault on Gandhi, says Kharge
M.U.H
22/01/202627
Escalating its protest against VB-GRAM-G [Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin)] — the new scheme replacing MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) — the Congress on Thursday added a symbolic and creative dimension to its agitation, with leaders dressing up as rural workers and planting a sapling in a pot filled with soil brought by MGNREGA workers from across the country.
Many participants carried soil from their villages — a symbolic reminder of how deeply the scheme is tied to India's rural economy.
The Congress accused the Centre of quietly dismantling a hard-won, rights-based employment law through the VB-GRAM-G scheme. At a packed National MGNREGA Workers’ Convention in Delhi, organised by the Rachnatmak Congress, the party projected the move as not just a policy shift but a direct political assault on the rural economy and poor — one that, it warned, could backfire like the now-repealed farm laws.
Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP-led government of attempting to “repeat the farm laws mistake” by weakening MGNREGA, a flagship UPA-era programme that guarantees 100 days of employment.
He linked the dilution of MGNREGA to a broader constitutional rollback. “VB-GRAM-G is nothing but a slogan — an attack on the rights of the poor,” he said. Addressing workers from across the country, he urged them to unite against what he called an unconstitutional attack on their right to work and dignity.
Drawing a parallel with the three farm laws that were repealed after a year-long protest in 2020-21, Gandhi added, “A few years ago, the BJP tried to bulldoze farmers with black laws. Farmers resisted, the country stood with them, and Narendra Modi was forced to withdraw them. Today, a similar attack is being launched on workers.”
Gandhi alleged that the BJP’s economic vision is designed to concentrate wealth in a few hands, forcing the poor, Dalits and Adivasis into dependence and submission. “This is not governance; this is control,” he said.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge framed the issue as ideological as much as economic, linking MGNREGA to Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of 'Gram Swaraj' (rural self-governance) and accusing the BJP of hollowing out both the law and its philosophy.
Kharge said, “Abolishing MGNREGA is not merely an assault on the weaker sections. It is a conspiracy to erase Mahatma Gandhi from public memory and destroy his vision of Gram Swaraj. This is the first time any party has dared to remove Mahatma Gandhi’s name from a scheme named after him. The country will not tolerate this.”
Calling out what he described as government doublespeak, Kharge pointed out that while MGNREGA guarantees 100 days of work by law, the Modi government has failed to provide even 40 days of employment.
“Now they are talking about 125 days of work, when people are not even getting two months of work in a year. This government is systematically snatching away people’s rights,” he said.
Sandeep Dixit, head of the Rachnatmak Congress, announced that the party would take the agitation nationwide over the next five months. “We will raise this issue across the country. Wherever workers and the poor stand, the Congress will stand shoulder to shoulder with them,” he said.
Workers at the convention painted a grim picture of the employment under the Modi government. Suman, who travelled from Alwar Rajasthan, said she was not receiving full wages and alleged rampant corruption, claiming contractors routinely take a cut.
Another worker said the Modi government had deliberately weakened the law. While participants from Rajasthan reported a sharp decline in the availability of work since 2023, workers from western Uttar Pradesh said their families were excluded after the introduction of the digital payment system.
The convention was part of the Congress’s 45-day nationwide campaign, MGNREGA Bachao Sangram, launched on 10 January. The party is demanding the withdrawal of the VB-GRAM-G Act, restoration of MGNREGA as a rights-based programme, and the return of panchayats’ authority in its implementation — setting the stage for a prolonged political showdown over rural economy and livelihoods.
