Former minister Capt Ajay Yadav leads protest in Rewari

In protest against the BJP government’s move to rename the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and allegedly weakening the scheme, the District Congress Committee, Rewari, organised a demonstration on Thursday. The protest was led by senior Congress leader and former Haryana minister Capt Ajay Singh Yadav.

A number of Congress workers and residents participated in the demonstration.

The protesters assembled at Rajiv Gandhi Chowk, where they staged a sit-in while raising slogans such as “Save MGNREGA – save the nation” and against the BJP government. Thereafter, the protesters marched to the Mini-Secretariat, where a memorandum addressed to the President of India was submitted to the Deputy Commissioner, Rewari.

District Congress Committee Rewari (Rural) president Subhash Chhabdi and urban unit president Praveen Chaudhary were present.

Addressing the gathering, Capt Yadav said the real mindset of the BJP government had now been fully exposed, stating that the government harboured hatred towards the name, ideology and values of Mahatma Gandhi.

“Renaming a historic and rights-based law like MGNREGA is not merely a change of name, but a direct attack on the rights of the poor and labourers,” he remarked.

The Congress leader said MGNREGA was a legal guarantee for employment, but the BJP government is attempting to dismantle it under the guise of the “Viksit Bharat G RAM G Scheme”, thereby snatching away the livelihood rights of the poor.

He pointed out that under the new scheme, 60 per cent of the funding will be borne by the Central Government and 40 per cent by the state government, while Haryana is already neck-deep in debt.

“How will the state government arrange its share,” he questioned, demanding a clear answer from the government.

The former minister outlined the clear demands of the Congress, which include a legal guarantee for 100 days of employment, full authority to village panchayats and a minimum daily wage of Rs 400 per head. Reacting strongly to the uproar in the Lok Sabha over the book written by former Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane, Capt Yadav said this incident clearly showed that the Modi government was afraid of truth.

“Rahul Gandhi wanted to present the truth before the nation regarding Chinese incursions, but the government did not allow him to speak,” he stated.