The National MGNREGA Workers’ Conference, organised by the Rachnatmak Congress, brought together labourers from across the country. In a symbolic gesture, workers offered soil collected from their worksites and placed it in potted plants at the venue. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Gandhi were present during the event, which focused on the future of rural employment guarantees.
Wearing a gamcha and carrying a spade on his shoulder, Gandhi said MGNREGA was enacted to provide a legal right to work for the poor, implemented through the Panchayati Raj system. He argued that the proposed VB-GRAM-G framework replaces this entitlement with a discretionary system controlled by the Centre. “The authority to demand work is being taken away. Decisions on employment and funds will now rest with the central government,” he said.
Drawing a parallel with the repealed farm laws, Gandhi claimed the government was repeating a pattern of introducing policies that weaken grassroots rights. He alleged that under the new framework, contractors and officials would gain precedence over labourers, while states ruled by the BJP would be favoured in allocation of work and resources. “This shifts power away from village institutions and concentrates it at the top,” he said.
Kharge echoed these concerns, alleging that the proposed changes undermine the idea of Gram Swaraj and erase the legacy of rights-based welfare initiatives. He said the renaming and restructuring of MGNREGA amounted to an attempt to alter its original intent and centralise control.
The Congress has launched a 45-day nationwide protest titled ‘MNREGA Bachao Sangram’ from January 10, demanding withdrawal of the VB-GRAM-G Bill and restoration of MGNREGA in its original form. The party insists that any alternative must retain the statutory right to work and the role of elected panchayats.
As the debate over rural employment policy intensifies, the opposition has signalled that it will continue protests inside and outside Parliament, positioning the issue as central to livelihoods, decentralisation, and social justice.
