Congress Launches 45-Day ‘MGNREGA Bachao Sangram’ Against New Rural Jobs Law

In a major political offensive against the government, the Congress on Saturday announced a 45-day nationwide protest titled "MGNREGA Bachao Sangram."

The campaign, scheduled to run from January 8 to February 25 aims to force the withdrawal of the newly enacted VB Gram G Act, which the Congress party claims "silently kills" the legal right to work.

Speaking at a press briefing at the AICC headquarters, party general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal and general secretary Jairam Ramesh described the new law as a "destructive" centralization of power that dismantles the world's largest poverty alleviation scheme.

The Congress leaders cited several "dangerous" provisions in the new legislation such as financial burden on states, Centralization of authority and wage suppression.

The party said under the previous MGNREGA framework, the Centre bore 100% of wage costs. The new law introduces a 60:40 funding formula, requiring states to provide 40% of the funds from their own budgets.

Jairam Ramesh noted that a state like Rajasthan would now have to find Rs 4,000 crore from its own resources, which he termed a violation of Article 258 of the Constitution.

The party also said the "guarantee" in the new Act is only a "guarantee of centralization." Instead of being demand-driven at the village level, Delhi will now decide which panchayats are "notified" to receive work, converting a constitutional promise into a government permission.

Party leaders said the law removes the link between wages and inflation. There is no longer a guaranteed national wage rate; instead, the Centre will fix rates per panchayat, which the Congress fears will lead to underpayment and increased rural distress.

The party strongly condemned the removal of Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the scheme, stating that Gandhi represented the "dignity of labour" and "village self-rule."

It said the 'Sangram' campaign is designed as a multi-tier grassroots movement. As per the party schedule, on January 8, preparatory meetings will be held at all Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) headquarters. District-level press conferences will be hled to launch the struggle on Jan 10.

The next day, a one-day fast will be organised at district headquarters, near statues of Mahatma Gandhi or Dr B R Ambedkar.

Between Jan 12 and 29 panchayat-level chaupals' will be hled. A personal letter from Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and LoP Rahul Gandhi will be delivered to gram pradhans and workers.

On January 30 (Martyrs' Day), peaceful sit-ins at ward and block levels be organised to emphasize non-violence and the right to work.

Between Jan 31 and Feb 6, massive "dharnas" are planned at district collector offices. Between Feb 7and 15, state-level protests outside state assemblies or Raj Bhavans will be conducted.

The party said between Feb 16 and 25, the campaign will culminate in four mega zonal rallies organized by the AICC.

Jairam Ramesh drew parallels to the historic farmers' protest against the three farm laws. "The farmers' movement was Delhi-centric; this Sangram is Panchayat-centric," he said. He expressed confidence that just as the Prime Minister was forced to repeal the farm laws in 2021, the government would be compelled to restore MGNREGA to its original "right-based" form.

The Congress also indicated it is exploring legal challenges in court and will coordinate with other Opposition-ruled states to take a unified stand against the implementation of the law.