- MGNREGA Bachao Sangram protest held at Babu Ghat
- MGNREGA Bachao Sangram sees Congress attack NDA policy
Hyderabad: The Hyderabad District Congress Committee on Tuesday accused the BJP led NDA Government of weakening the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act during a protest held in the city. DCC President Syed Khalid Saifullah said the Centre was dismantling what he called the most critical lifeline for rural India. He described the changes to the scheme as a direct threat to the Right to Work guaranteed under the law.
The protest took place near Babu Ghat in Hyderabad. It formed part of the Congress party’s nationwide MGNREGA Bachao Sangram campaign. Several senior leaders attended the event. These included Congress MP Tariq Anwar, former PCC President V Hanumantha Rao, and Khairatabad DCC President Motha Rohit. Local leaders and party workers also joined the demonstration.
Syed Khalid Saifullah said the decision to rename and restructure the scheme amounted to an attack on rural welfare. He recalled that the Congress led UPA Government under Dr Manmohan Singh enacted MGNREGA two decades ago. He said the law gave legal backing to the Right to Work. He added that since its start, the scheme generated over 180 crore person days of employment. It also created nearly 10 crore rural assets, including tanks and roads. According to him, the programme empowered Gram Panchayats to plan development based on local needs. He also said MGNREGA strengthened grassroots democracy and local self governance. During the COVID 19 pandemic, he noted, it served as an economic lifeline for millions of poor families.
However, he alleged that the Modi Government was subverting the core principles of the scheme. He said the legal guarantee of employment was turning into a discretionary system. Under the proposed structure, he claimed, the Centre would decide which Gram Panchayats could provide work. Therefore, rural families would lose their right to demand employment. He warned that the scheme would become a centrally controlled handout.
Meanwhile, Khalid Saifullah raised concerns over wage security. He said the original Act ensured minimum wages with annual revision and year round work. He alleged that the restructured model would fix wages without yearly revision. He also said suspending the scheme during harvest season would leave landless workers without income. This, he warned, would push them into informal labour without protection.
Later, Congress leaders expressed concern over reduced powers of Gram Panchayats. They said the Centre was shifting project decisions away from villages. They also alleged that contractors would return and local support staff would be removed. Another issue raised was the financial burden on states. Leaders said the Centre earlier paid the full wage cost. Now, states would have to bear 40 percent. They warned this would reduce workdays and hurt women and SC ST families the most.
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