The Congress Party on Sunday staged a protest at the Reasi district headquarters against the alleged attempts of the BJP-led Central Government to dilute and alter the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). The protest was led by District Congress President Bhupinder Singh and senior Youth Congress leader Karandeep Singh, with participation from a large number of Congress workers and supporters from across Reasi district.
Addressing the protesters, Congress leaders stated that MGNREGA is a historic and pro-people legislation enacted by the Congress Party, which provided a legal right to employment to crores of poor and rural families. They said the scheme has proved to be a lifeline for the poor, farmers, and labourers, especially in hilly and backward districts like Reasi.
The leaders alleged that the Modi-led Central Government is deliberately trying to weaken this landmark welfare scheme by continuously reducing its budgetary allocation and making arbitrary changes in its structure. They termed these moves as anti-poor and anti-people, stating that such steps will severely affect thousands of beneficiaries in Reasi district.
Congress leaders further stated that the reported move to remove the name of Mahatma Gandhi from the Act is not merely a change of name, but a direct attack on Mahatma Gandhi’s ideology and his commitment to pro-poor policies. They asserted that the Congress Party will never accept any attempt to undermine Gandhiji’s legacy or dilute the rights of rural workers.
