Congress to Launch MGNREGA Bachao Protest

The Congress on Saturday announced a nationwide protest against the Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Act, 2025, declaring that it will launch the ‘MGNREGA Bachao Andolan’ from January 5, 2026, to demand the repeal of the law.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi made the announcement while addressing a press conference in Delhi following a meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC). Kharge said the party had passed a resolution to begin the movement in response to what it described as the dismantling of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

Kharge said MGNREGA was not merely a welfare scheme but a constitutional right to work, which, according to him, has been withdrawn to suppress the poor. He added that public anger over the repeal was growing and warned that the government would have to face the consequences of its decision. He also claimed the move would impose additional financial burdens on states and was taken without consultation.

Rahul Gandhi criticised the decision as a unilateral action by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that MGNREGA was dismantled without cabinet discussion or proper assessment. He described the move as a severe blow to poor communities and state governments, comparing it to past policy decisions taken without wider consultation.

The Congress leaders argued that MGNREGA was not only an employment programme but a globally recognised development framework. They said its repeal amounted to an attack on the rights-based development approach and the federal structure, asserting that the scheme played a crucial role in supporting livelihoods and strengthening rural economies across the country.