NEW DELHI: The Congress on Saturday announced that it will launch a nationwide protest against the Center’s replacement of the rural employment scheme – MGNREGA – with VB G-RAM-G law. After the Congress Working Committee meeting, party chief Mallikarjun Kharge said replacing the scheme named after Mahatama Gandhi was an insult to the father of the nation.
“At the meeting, we took an oath. We decided to launch a massive movement across the country keeping the MNREGA program at the centre. The Indian National Congress Party, taking a leading role, will launch the Save MNREGA campaign from January 5,” Kharge said during a media briefing.“We will protect them Mahatma Gandhi Enforce National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) at all costs. MNREGA is not just a program but a right to work enshrined in the Indian Constitution. We are also committed to democratically countering any conspiracy to remove Gandhiji’s name from MNREGA,” he added.Kharge said that people are upset over the repeal of MGNREGA and the government will have to face the consequences. Meanwhile, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi took the decision to replace MNREGA without consulting the concerned ministers or the Union Cabinet.“MGNREGA was not just a plan; it was a rights-based approach… This direct rights-based approach is now under attack… Finally, I was informed that this decision was taken directly by the Prime Minister’s Office without consulting the concerned ministers or the Cabinet,” Rahul said.“This reflects the current situation where governance has become a one-man show and whatever Narendra Modi wants is implemented,” he added.The LoP in Lok Sabha also vowed to oppose the move and said, “As Kharge ji said, we will oppose it.The Viksit Bharat-Garante for Rozgar and Ajaevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, which represented the Mgnrega of the UP era, was passed in the recently concluded winter of Parliament. President Droupadi Murmu has already given her consent.The Congress and other opposition parties strongly opposed the new law that replaces MGNREGA, saying it was an insult to Mahatma Gandhi as his name had been removed from the title.The new law guarantees every rural household whose adult members voluntarily perform unskilled manual labor a legal guarantee of 125 days of wage employment in a financial year.However, instead of being a centralized system, the new law stipulates that the Center and states will have to share the funding of the system in the ratio of 60:40 per cent
