MGNREGA row: Congress plans 45-day protest across Telangana against VB-G Ram G

Hyderabad: The Telangana Congress will embark on a 45-day agitation demanding the restoration of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

The All-India Congress Committee (AICC) meeting on Thursday here at Gandhi Bhavan was attended by all the leaders of the Congress Party who unanimously declared their protest against the ‘draconian new law’ Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (VB-G Ram G).

The AICC leaders from Telangana chalked out a path to fight the new VB-G Ram G law, which they said is against the poor and farm labourers.

The new law was termed as the ‘death sentence for rural poor’.

Gandhis invited for Mulugu meet

As part of the protest, the Congress party has decided to organise public meetings in all districts and educate the rural areas about the damage the new legislation will do to them. Congress senior leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi will be invited for the public meeting in Mulugu.

The issues that the protests will cover:

1. No 60-day break: The 60-day break during agriculture season will create a migration of rural poor to urban areas. They will be forced to take up cheap work.

2. Restoration of rights: MNREGA is a demand-based and rights-based legal guarantee of work to the poor.

3. VB-G Ram G scheme: The new scheme is anti-labour and anti-farmers as it will not benefit these sections, who are the backbone of the agriculture sector.

4. Funding ratio: The funding burden on the State government will be a huge financial burden.

5. Restoration of the original name: The Congress Party strongly opposes the removal of Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the scheme, as it represents rural dignity. The party demands the restoration of the name.

‘New law to help Adani and Ambani with cheap labour’

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, who was present at the meeting, echoed the sentiments of the party, claiming a deeper corporate conspiracy.

He said, “The overhaul aims to create a pool of cheap labour for corporate giants like Adani and Ambani by removing the safety net of guaranteed rural wages.”

CM Revanth asked the Congress Party workers to come together and fight against the new legislation. “Like the anti-farmer laws, we have to fight and restore the original MGNREGA,” he said in the meeting at the Gandhi Bhavan.

Telangana first to pass resolution against VB-G Ram G

Telangana has become the first state to pass a unanimous Assembly resolution opposing the new law.

The Congress strategy to take this issue to a massive scale involves:

Gram Sabha resolutions: Between January 20 and 30, resolutions will be passed in all 12,000+ Gram Panchayats to be submitted to the President of India.

District rallies: A series of massive public meetings will commence on February 3 across nine districts.

The Mulugu Declaration: A grand rally in Mulugu is planned, with invitations extended to Sonia, Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi.

Statewide agitation

As part of the agitation, Telangana Congress cadre will explain to people in rural areas about how the new legislation will impact them.

Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka said, “Before the implementation of the employment guarantee law, daily wages were as low as Rs 40. With the introduction of MGNREGA, wages immediately increased to Rs 100 per day. Without bloodshed or mass agitation, this law brought about a silent revolution in the country.”

“Under the new law by the BJP government, employment opportunities will be unavailable for 60 days during the agricultural season, forcing the poor to migrate to urban areas. In today’s conditions, labourers are compelled to accept whatever wages employers offer,” he explained.

Conspiracy for corporate slavery

Minister for Irrigation and Civil Supplies, N Uttam Kumar Reddy, branded the move a ‘revolutionary betrayal.’

He alleged that the Modi government targeted the scheme primarily because of its association with the Gandhi name and the Congress legacy.

“Wherever there’s Mahatma Gandhi’s name or a law brought by Congress, Modiji seems bent on doing away with it. By removing administrative powers from Gram Panchayats and slashing budgets by 40 per cent, the Centre has effectively nullified the ‘Right to Work’,” said Uttam Kumar Reddy.