Gandhi's assassins trying to erase his legacy by replacing MGNREGA: Amethi MP

Congress MP from Amethi Kishori Lal Sharma on Sunday accused the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) of attempting to erase Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy by replacing the MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) with the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Aajeevika Mission (Grameen) Act.

Addressing a press conference at the district Congress office in Gauriganj, Sharma alleged that the same “communal forces” that assassinated Mahatma Gandhi were now trying to undermine his vision of rural empowerment and self-reliance.

“The entire nation considers Mahatma Gandhi the Father of the Nation, but the BJP is trying to erase his name from the country,” Sharma said. “The forces that killed Gandhi ji are today trying to destroy his dreams.”

MGNREGA central to Gandhi’s vision

The Congress MP said Gandhi had envisioned development models rooted in villages, with local planning, employment for all and prosperity in rural India. According to him, MGNREGA had been the closest realisation of that vision.

“MGNREGA ensured dignity of labour and guaranteed work to rural families. It was not just a scheme, it was a rights-based law,” Sharma said.

He recalled that under the original framework of MGNREGA, the Centre bore 90 per cent of the financial burden, with states contributing only 10 per cent. The new law, he argued, had reversed this balance.

“Now the Centre has fixed its share at 60 per cent and forced states to bear 40 per cent of the cost. If states earlier struggled to contribute even 10 per cent, how will they now manage 40 per cent?” he asked.

Allegations of financial squeeze

Sharma alleged that the restructuring of the scheme was part of a “systematic conspiracy” to weaken gram panchayats and dilute the rights of rural workers.

Presenting figures from Amethi, he said that 1,073 families had received employment under MGNREGA in the current financial year, but payments amounting to Rs 21.70 lakh were still pending.

“The financial year is about to end, yet labourers have not been paid. Development in villages has stalled. This is not administrative failure — this is deliberate neglect,” he alleged.

He also claimed that the BJP was attempting to centralise all rural development schemes, thereby stripping elected village heads of their authority and weakening grassroots democracy.

Nationwide agitation announced

Condemning the repeal of MGNREGA, Sharma announced that the Congress would launch a nationwide agitation titled ‘MGNREGA Bachao Sangram’ from 12 January to 29 January.

“The government does not listen to the opposition in Parliament and is acting arbitrarily. That is why we are taking this fight to the streets,” he said.

According to Sharma, the campaign in Uttar Pradesh will be led by Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi, with protests planned from villages to state capitals and Parliament.

“The movement will continue until the name of the scheme is restored and its original rights-based structure is brought back,” he added.

Political face-off intensifies

The BJP has defended the new VB-G RAM G Act as a reform aimed at strengthening rural livelihoods and improving efficiency in employment generation. However, opposition parties have accused the Centre of dismantling one of India’s most significant social welfare laws under the guise of restructuring.

With assembly elections approaching in several states, the future of rural employment guarantees has emerged as a key political flashpoint, with the Congress seeking to frame the issue as a battle over Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy and the rights of India’s rural poor.