CPI(M) long march against VB-GRAMG halted in Palghar, sit-in ongoing
Congress launched its 45-day MGNREGA protection drive on 10 Jan, which includes chaupals and large public meetings until 25 Feb
A CPI(M)-led long march demanding the scrapping of the VB-GRAMG [Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin)] scheme was halted by the district administration in Maharashtra’s Palghar district on Monday, 19 January, triggering an ongoing standoff at the collectorate as thousands of farmers and tribal people protested.
The march, which began on 19 January from Charoti in Dahanu tehsil, saw the participation of around 50,000 people. Protesters raised a 12-point charter of demands, including strict implementation of the Forest Rights Act (FRA), restoration of MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act), cancellation of the Smart Meter scheme, repeal of the four Labour Codes, and withdrawal of the proposed Wadhwan and Murbe port projects.
In a statement, the CPI(M) accused the administration of acting in an “insensitive and high-handed” manner.
“Instead of showing basic humanity, the administration and police blocked the agitators from camping in the vast Collectorate compound, a space routinely allowed for such struggles. This has forced a peaceful gherao of the Collectorate,” the party said.
The party said the agitation was drawing widespread support in the district. “This just struggle is receiving overwhelming support and sympathy from the people of Palghar. Bureaucratic stubbornness cannot stop the march of justice,” the statement added.
Vijoo Krishnan, general-secretary of the All India Kisan Sabha, said anger against the “double-engine government” was evident. “The protest is against the BJP’s repressive and anti-people policies,” Krishnan said.
Krishnan had earlier led the 2018 Nashik-to-Mumbai long march, in which an estimated 60,000–70,000 farmers and tribal people participated, demanding farm loan waivers, implementation of the Forest Rights Act, transfer of forest land to tribal farmers, and remunerative prices for agricultural produce. The march had ended after the Maharashtra government gave written assurances on most demands.
The current agitation comes amid intensified opposition criticism of the BJP over the weakening of MGNREGA through the introduction of VB-GRAMG.
The Congress has launched its own 45-day MGNREGA protection drive on 10 January, which includes district-level press briefings across states and large public meetings scheduled until 25 February.
The Congress and other opposition parties have argued that while VB-GRAMG promises more days of work, it removes the statutory guarantees provided under MGNREGA.
Earlier, the AAP government in Punjab passed a resolution in the Assembly opposing VB-GRAMG and sought the continuation of MGNREGA. The Karnataka Assembly has also adopted a similar resolution.