Bhubaneswar: The Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Monday resolved to launch a nationwide ‘MGNREGA Bachao Abhiyan’ from January 5, 2026, in protest against the Union government’s decision to repeal the nearly two-decade-old Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and replace it with the newly introduced VB-G RAM G Bill.
Meeting in New Delhi, senior Congress leaders including party president Mallikarjun Kharge and former president Sonia Gandhi strongly criticised the move, calling it a betrayal of India’s rural poor and a dilution of one of the country’s most significant rights-based welfare legislations. The leaders argued that MGNREGA was not merely a scheme, but a legal guarantee that assured 100 days of wage employment to rural households.
“The repeal strikes at the very foundation of social justice and employment security for the poorest of the poor. It dismantles a rights-based law inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals and replaces it with a discretionary framework,” Kharge said during the meeting.
Sonia Gandhi echoed the sentiment, saying the new legislation undermines the spirit of MGNREGA by shifting financial responsibility to the states and weakening the Centre’s accountability. She warned that the move would disproportionately affect vulnerable rural workers, especially in economically weaker states already struggling with fiscal constraints.
According to the Congress, the VB-G RAM G Bill marks a fundamental shift away from guaranteed employment, replacing it with a centrally controlled allocation model and cost-sharing mechanism that could limit work availability. Party leaders also raised concerns over the proposed “normative allocation” system, arguing it removes the demand-driven nature of MGNREGA.
However, the government has defended the new Bill, saying it modernises rural employment by increasing the potential work limit to 125 days, introducing weekly wage payments, improving transparency, and focusing on the creation of durable assets. Supporters of the legislation also cite stronger anti-corruption measures and a revised Centre–state funding structure as key improvements.
The Congress has announced that the MGNREGA Bachao Abhiyan will include public meetings, protests, and grassroots mobilisation across rural India to build pressure against the new law. The campaign is expected to intensify political confrontation between the Centre and opposition-ruled states, especially with several state elections on the horizon.
Political observers see the issue emerging as a major flashpoint in the coming months, with rural employment, federalism, and social welfare once again taking centre stage in national politics.
-OdishaAge
