The Congress will launch its ‘Save MGNREGA Movement’ in Assam from Saturday as part of a nationwide agitation against the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Aajeevika Mission Gramin Act (VB–G RAM G), which has replaced the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
Announcing the programme in Guwahati on Thursday, All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary in-charge of Assam Manoj Chauhan said the party would continue its agitation until the new law is withdrawn and MGNREGA restored.
“The new Act has effectively removed the guaranteed employment that workers earlier enjoyed under MGNREGA and is an attempt to snatch away several constitutional rights. In this context, the Congress has intensified its agitation against the move across the country,” Chauhan said.
As part of the campaign, the ‘Save MGNREGA Movement’ will be launched in Assam on January 10 with press conferences at district headquarters. “District Congress chiefs, along with Assam Pradesh Congress Committee observers in-charge of the respective districts, will expose the betrayal of workers by the government,” Chauhan said.
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A day-long statewide dharna will be organised across Assam on January 11, followed by protest meetings in every gram panchayat from January 12 to 29. “Along with Congress workers, MGNREGA workers will also participate in these protest meetings,” he added.
Another statewide dharna is scheduled for January 30, Martyrs’ Day, marking the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
Chauhan alleged that the NDA government had imposed several “black laws” without regard for public suffering, asserting that people had consistently resisted such moves.
Referring to MGNREGA as the lifeline of rural workers for two decades, he claimed the new framework centralises decision-making on employment and wages, weakening both workers’ rights and state finances.
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