New Delhi: The Congress alleged on Tuesday that the government has run a “bulldozer” over the MGNREGA scheme and urged people to join its “MGNREGA Bachao Sangram”, which it said is a nationwide struggle for the restoration of the constitutional rights to work, to wages and to accountability.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said the “MGNREGA Bachao Sangram” will reach 2.5 lakh gram panchayats and crores of people across the country.
“The government has run a bulldozer over the MGNREGA scheme, which has become the lifeline for crores of people in India. This nationwide struggle is against that, for the restoration of the constitutional rights to work, to wages and to accountability,” he said in a post in Hindi on X and urged people to join the campaign.
Ramesh shared a link — https://www.mgnregabachao.in — through which people can join the “MGNREGA Bachao Sangram”.
Those joining the campaign can also sign a petition on the portal to President Droupadi Murmu.
“We strongly register our protest against the recent changes to MGNREGA that weaken its core promise of guaranteed employment and rural empowerment. MGNREGA is a constitutional Right to Work for crores of families and must not be diluted. Our demands: Restore the guarantee of work; fix minimum wage at Rs 400 per day; empower Panchayati Raj Institutions; we urge your immediate intervention to protect the spirit and intent of MGNREGA,” the petition reads.
In a communication issued to AICC general secretaries, states in-charge, secretaries and joint secretaries, along with other key organisational functionaries, Congress general secretary in-charge organisation K C Venugopal has shared a list of slogans that can be used by the party workers during the various activities undertaken as part of the “MGNREGA Bachao Sangram”, instructions on the “Kaam Maango Abhiyan” and a video statement from Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi on the MGNREGA.
“It is to be played for all MGNREGA workers during the village-level activities held as part of the Sangram,” Venugopal said in his communication dated January 12.
Additionally, a letter signed by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will be shared very soon, he added.
“It is requested that all in-charges translate this letter into their local language and arrange for mass printing of these letters, which are to be delivered to the Gram Panchayat Pradhans, MGNREGA mates, Rozgar Sahayaks, MGNREGA workers and former Pradhans,” Venugopal said.
As part of the “Kaam Maango Abhiyaan”, the Congress has urged its functionaries to gather at least 10 labourers who have job cards and are in need of work to go to gram panchayat offices with their job cards.
Elaborating on the different ways they can seek while asking for work, the party has also instructed that if work is not provided within 15 days, the workers should submit a collective application for unemployment allowance at the block or prakhand level, attaching copies of the receipts, and obtain a receipt for the application.
The opposition party has announced the nationwide “MGNREGA Bachao Sangram” from January 10 to February 25 to demand the withdrawal of the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB G-RAM-G) Act and the restoration of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) as a rights-based law, the right to work and the authority of panchayats.
The VB-G RAM G Bill was passed during Parliament’s winter session that ended in December last year. It subsequently became a law after receiving the president’s approval.
The Congress has set up a coordination committee to oversee and monitor the “MGNREGA Bachao Sangram”, with Ajay Maken as its convenor and senior leaders Ramesh, Sandeep Dikshit and Priyank Kharge among the members of the panel.
