VB-GRAMG Act weakens role of gram sabhas; harms villages, poor: UP Congress

Congress general secretary Avinash Pande on Sunday launched a scathing attack on the BJP, accusing it of hollowing out the democratic heart of India’s villages by weakening the role of gram sabhas under the newly enacted rural employment law, the Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-GRAMG) Act.

Describing the gram sabha as the very soul of the UPA-era Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), Pande said its replacement has stripped village assemblies of their authority and reduced them to little more than ceremonial bodies.

“Under MGNREGA, gram sabhas decided the selection of works, prioritised tasks and monitored labourers. Today, these powers have been transferred to centralised portals, rigid guidelines and distant ministries,” he said, warning that the shift has severed decision-making from the grassroots and dealt a blow to transparency and accountability.

Gram sabhas, he added, had served as vigilant sentinels against corruption, ensuring public scrutiny and people’s participation — values now under threat.

Pande’s remarks came a day after the Congress announced a nationwide agitation from January 5 against the repeal of MGNREGA, with Rahul Gandhi accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “single-handedly destroying” a landmark legislation and undermining the democratic fabric of rural India, with grave consequences for the village economy.

The Congress leader, who is also the party’s Uttar Pradesh in-charge, said the party would honour the aspirations of its grassroots workers by contesting the 2026 local bodies and MLC elections independently. He added that preparations are already underway to contest all seats in the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, asserting that the Congress is ready to challenge the BJP as part of the opposition INDIA bloc.

Reflecting on the broader national mood, Pande said the challenges confronting the country deeply concern the Congress. “Inflation and unemployment are squeezing ordinary citizens, farmers are in distress, and repeated attempts are being made to disturb communal harmony,” he alleged. “At the same time, there is a systematic effort to weaken democracy and the Constitution.”

Turning to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Uttar Pradesh’s electoral rolls, Pande termed it a “well-planned attempt” to manipulate the electoral process. The large-scale deletion of voters’ names, he said, was deeply suspicious and amounted to disenfranchising citizens of their constitutional right to vote.

“These actions strike at the very foundations of the Constitution, the impartiality of the Election Commission, and public trust in democracy,” he charged.

Asserting that the Congress would not remain silent, Pande announced that the party will organise 30 rallies across Uttar Pradesh over the next 100 days under its “Constitution Dialogue” programme to mobilise public awareness.

Marking the Congress’ 140th Foundation Day, Pande and Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai paid floral tributes at the statues of Mahatma Gandhi and former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi at the party office, invoking the legacy of leaders who shaped the nation’s democratic journey.

With PTI inputs