Congress to launch nationwide ‘MGNREGA Bachao Sangram’
Congress on Saturday announced a nationwide ‘MGNREGA Bachao Sangram’ from January 10 to February 25 to demand the withdrawal of the VB G-RAM-G Act, and restoration of MGNREGA as a rights-based law, the right to work, and the authority of panchayats.
Addressing a joint press conference, Congress general secretaries KC Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh said through the new VBG RAM G Act, the Centre has ensured complete centralisation as “employment will no longer be a right under the new Act,” which will be challenged in court.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said attacking MGNREGA is like attacking crores of workers and their constitutional right to work, which the party would resist peacefully and firmly from panchayats to Parliament. “That is why we are launching the nationwide ‘MGNREGA Bachao Sangram’,” he said.
On whether the States ruled by the INDIA bloc constituents would not implement the new Act or oppose it, Venugopal said the Congress would hold consultations with all the alliance partners on the way forward. A consensus will be reached within the Opposition-ruled chief ministers, and “we will explore possibilities of how to move forward on this,” Venugopal said.
Ramesh claimed that no BJP-ruled State is in a position to implement the G RAM G law, which, he said, is against the federal structure of the country. Venugopal also termed the Act an attack against the federal structure itself, as “no discussion was held with the States to implement it, even as their finances will be disturbed.”
He said through the ‘MGNREGA Bachao Sangram’, the Congress aims to defend the right to work, protect the Panchayati Raj institutions, and stand with the women workers, Dalits, Adivasis, and the rural poor by taking the issue to every village of the country. “This is not only a Congress programme. We will hold detailed discussions with all the Opposition-ruled states, and fight together,” Venugopal said.
On January 10, district-level press conferences will be held, followed by a day-long fast and symbolic protests at the district headquarters on January 11, the Congress leaders said.
From January 12 to 29, panchayat-level chaupals and mass contact programmes will be organised at all the gram panchayats, followed by ward-level peaceful sit-ins on January 30 to press for the right to work, they said. From February 7 to 15, State-level gheraos of Vidhan Sabhas will be organised, while four major rallies will be held between February 16 and 25 before the culmination of the nationwide movement, Venugopal said.
