Congress attacks UP govt over lathi-charge on MGNREGA Bachao protesters

The Congress on Sunday alleged that the Uttar Pradesh government ordered a “brutal lathi-charge” on NSUI protesters during a peaceful march in Varanasi held as part of the party’s nationwide MGNREGA Bachao Sangram.

Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh shared a video on X that purportedly showed police pushing and using force against protesters. He said students, led by NSUI national president Varun Chaudhary, were marching peacefully in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s parliamentary constituency when police intervened.

Calling the protest “completely peaceful and democratic,” Ramesh alleged that the “Yogi-Modi trouble-engine” government ordered the police action out of fear of public questioning.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also condemned the incident, accusing the BJP of using force against students protesting the “dismantling of MNREGA” and the denial of employment rights to millions of workers. She said the use of force and arrests was “highly condemnable” and asserted that the Congress would continue to oppose what it termed injustice and repression.

The Congress launched its 45-day nationwide MGNREGA Bachao Sangram on Saturday, protesting the repeal of the UPA-era rural employment scheme and its replacement with the Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin), or VB-G RAM G Act.

As part of the agitation, press conferences were held at district headquarters across the country on Saturday, followed by day-long fasts and symbolic protests on Sunday. From 12 to 29 January, the party will organise chaupals and mass contact programmes at gram panchayats, followed by ward-level sit-ins on 30 January. State-level Vidhan Sabha gheraos are planned from 7 to 15 February, with four major rallies scheduled between 16 and 25 February.

The VB-G RAM G Act was passed in Parliament in December 2025 amid opposition protests and received presidential assent on 21 December. The law guarantees 125 days of wage employment per rural household annually.

The Congress is demanding the complete withdrawal of the Act and restoration of MGNREGA as a rights-based employment guarantee.

With PTI inputs