Congress President Highlights Key Demands for MGNREGA Protection
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has highlighted the party's demands to protect the MGNREGA program, asserting it as a legal entitlement rather than a charity. He criticized the newly introduced VB-G Ram Ji Act, claiming it undermines workers' rights and centralizes control over employment schemes. The Congress party plans to launch a nationwide movement to oppose this legislation, emphasizing the importance of MGNREGA in providing jobs and supporting the poorest communities. Kharge's statements reflect a broader concern for the constitutional rights of millions of workers across the country.
| Jan 3, 2026, 14:55 IST
Congress Calls for Protection of MGNREGA
On Saturday, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge emphasized three critical demands related to the party's MGNREGA Save Movement, asserting that this program is not a charity but a legal guarantee. Kharge stated that the Congress party is urging the central government to repeal the recently passed Developed India - Employment and Livelihood Mission (Rural) (VB-G Ram Ji) Act, restore MGNREGA as a rights-based law, and reinstate the rights to work and empower local councils.
In a social media post, Kharge clarified that MGNREGA is not a donation; it is a legal entitlement. It has provided employment to millions of the poorest individuals in their villages, reduced hunger and distress migration, increased rural wages, and enhanced the economic dignity of women. He further accused the VB-G Ram Ji Act of threatening to dismantle the rights-based framework of MGNREGA by arbitrarily altering guaranteed work, centralizing control, and undermining local councils and states.
Kharge asserted that the VB-G Ram Ji Act is designed to eliminate this very right. The Congress opposes it because work will no longer be a guaranteed right but will only be permitted in select councils. Budget constraints will lead to a cessation of work even during crises when funds run out. Decisions regarding funding and projects will be made in Delhi, rendering local councils and panchayats irrelevant. A 60-day work stoppage will make it legitimate to deny work during peak crisis times. Wages will become uncertain and precarious instead of being a protected right. States will be compelled to provide 40 percent of the funding, weakening federalism and harming poorer states. Technological barriers, such as biometric systems and apps, will exclude workers, and local assets will be replaced by contractor-style projects.
Kharge stated that the attack on MGNREGA is an assault on millions of workers and their constitutional rights. We will peacefully and resolutely oppose this from every panchayat to Parliament. This announcement follows Congress's declaration of a three-phase nationwide movement titled 'Save MGNREGA' against the newly introduced VB-G Ram Ji Bill. During a press conference at the party's headquarters in New Delhi, Congress General Secretaries K.C. Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh accused the central government of attempting to centralize the employment guarantee scheme and act arbitrarily.