Don’t end MGNREGA, people won’t let you roam free: Kharge to Centre

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday mounted a fierce attack on the Centre, warning that the people of the country would not tolerate any move to scrap the UPA-era Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), a flagship welfare law that assures 100 days of guaranteed employment to rural households.

He cautioned that dismantling the scheme would provoke widespread anger, declaring that people “will not let their leaders roam on the roads” if the law is ended.

Participating in the Lok Sabha debate on the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025 — proposed as a replacement for MGNREGA — Kharge accused the BJP-led government of deliberately seeking to weaken the poor through the new legislation. He alleged that the intent behind the Bill was to strip rural workers of their rights and push them back into “slavery”.

Calling MGNREGA a landmark and indispensable law, Kharge said it should not be tampered with as it directly concerns the survival and dignity of the poorest sections. He reminded the House that the scheme was introduced to ensure livelihoods for those unable to find work and charged the Centre with “snatching away” rights that had been hard-won through legislation. Questioning the government’s motives, he alleged that the proposed law was designed to crush the poor rather than empower them.

Drawing parallels with the year-long farmers’ agitation that forced the repeal of three contentious farm laws in 2021, Kharge warned that the government would once again be compelled to withdraw the Bill. He asserted that the opposition would take to the streets to resist the move, even if it meant facing repression, and vowed that his party would never support legislation that undermines MGNREGA.

Kharge argued that the employment guarantee scheme should be continued in its original form and strengthened, warning that any dilution would devastate rural livelihoods. Citing government documents and official assurances, he said MGNREGA had contributed significantly to higher rural incomes and poverty alleviation. He accused the Centre of killing the scheme through “slow poisoning” by steadily reducing its budget — from Rs 1.11 lakh crore in 2020–21 to Rs 86,000 crore in 2025–26.

In an emotional intervention, Kharge appealed to the government not to “harm the poor” by ending the scheme, accusing it of duplicity and using the phrase “Moonh me Ram, Bagal me Chhuri” to describe what he called double-speak on welfare. He urged the Centre to withdraw the Bill or, at the very least, refer it to a parliamentary select committee for wider scrutiny.

Echoing the criticism, Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’Brien termed the proposed legislation a product of a “feudal mindset”. He argued that MGNREGA was a legal right, not a charity, and accused the government of trying to convert it into a pre-election dole. O’Brien urged the Centre not to rush the Bill through Parliament and instead send it to a select committee for detailed examination.

With PTI inputs