Guwahati, Jan 9: The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) will launch the ‘Save MGNREGA Movement’ in the state from Saturday as part of a nationwide agitation against the replacement of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission–Gramin (VB-GRAM) Act.
Announcing the programme in Guwahati, AICC general secretary in charge of Assam, Jitendra Singh Chauhan, said the Congress would intensify its protests across the country, including Assam, opposing what he described as the removal of a rights-based employment guarantee for rural workers.
Chauhan alleged that the VB-GRAM Act has replaced MGNREGA and effectively withdrawn the assured employment that rural labourers had enjoyed for nearly two decades. He claimed that under the new framework, the Centre would have greater discretion in fixing wages, thereby diluting workers’ legal rights.
“MGNREGA has been the lifeline of rural workers for the last 20 years. The new Act undermines that security and weakens the rights of labourers,” Chauhan said.
As part of the agitation, the ‘Save MGNREGA Movement’ will be launched in Assam on January 10 with press conferences at district headquarters across the state. This will be followed by a day-long statewide dharna on January 11. Protest meetings will also be organised at the gram panchayat level from January 12 to 29, involving Congress workers and MGNREGA labourers.
The agitation will culminate on January 30, the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, with observances across the state. Chauhan said Assam Congress leaders, along with AICC observers in charge of districts, will supervise the protest programmes.
Claiming that previous attempts by the NDA government to weaken MGNREGA had failed due to public resistance, Chauhan asserted that the latest move would also be strongly opposed. He warned that dismantling MGNREGA would have serious financial implications for state governments and adversely affect rural livelihoods.
The Congress leader said the agitation would continue until the VB-GRAM Act is withdrawn and MGNREGA is fully restored, reiterating the party’s commitment to protecting employment rights and social security for rural workers.
