Cong to launch nationwide MGNREGA stir from Jan 5

With the Assembly elections looming across five states next year, the Congress on Saturday stitched together what it called a widening political crisis -- the overhaul of MGNREGA, the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the shrinking space for federal decision-making -- warning that the Centre was heading for a direct confrontation with rural India and democratic institutions.

At a meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the party resolved to put up a fight against the overhaul of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and the SIR as part of its political mobilisation ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

The meeting was attended by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and senior leaders, including Shashi Tharoor and Jairam Ramesh. MPs, Chief Ministers of Congress-ruled Karnataka, Telangana and Himachal Pradesh, and Pradesh Congress Committee presidents were also present, signalling a coordinated national push.

Addressing the media after the meeting, Kharge said public anger was steadily rising over the MGNREGA overhaul and cautioned that the government would be forced to face the consequences. Calling the replacement law — the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin), or VB-G RAM G — a “one-sided decision”, he said it had been imposed without consultation and would burden states by shifting the funding structure to a 60:40 Centre-state ratio.

Kharge announced that the CWC had unanimously passed a resolution to launch the MGNREGA Bachao Abhiyan from January 5, with nationwide protests planned against its overhaul. He said the party had collectively taken an oath to resist attempts to erase Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the employment guarantee programme and to dilute workers’ rights.

Reaffirming faith in the Constitution and democracy, Kharge said the Congress would protect MGNREGA, safeguard labour rights and raise its voice in every village, carrying the movement forward with the slogans “Jai Samvidhan” and “Jai Hind”.

The Congress and other opposition parties have argued that removing Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the scheme amounts to an insult to his legacy. Under the new law, rural households are assured 125 days of wage employment in a financial year for adults willing to undertake unskilled manual labour -- a shift the Congress says weakens the original rights-based framework of guaranteed work.

Drawing parallels with past mass mobilisations, Kharge cited the rollback of changes to the land acquisition law and the repeal of the three farm laws after sustained protests. He said Rahul Gandhi had earlier predicted the withdrawal of the farm laws and had now warned that MGNREGA too would have to be restored. Kharge said people were looking to the Congress to lead at what he described as a difficult moment for rural workers and states.

During the meeting, Kharge also sharpened the party’s attack on the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls underway in several states, calling it a “well-thought-out conspiracy” aimed at curbing democratic rights. He said the exercise was a matter of serious concern and claimed Rahul Gandhi had repeatedly presented evidence of alleged vote theft.

Kharge further condemned attacks on Hindu minorities in Bangladesh, saying the developments had worried the entire nation. He also alleged that attacks on Christmas celebrations by organisations linked to the BJP and RSS had disturbed communal harmony and tarnished India’s global image.

Rahul, too, targeted the BJP-led NDA government over the VB-G RAM G Act, alleging that PM Narendra Modi had “single-handedly” dismantled MGNREGA, much like demonetisation, without consulting the Cabinet or assessing the consequences. He said the move amounted to a devastating attack on states, the rural economy and the poor.

Stating that the Congress would resist the government’s action both inside Parliament and on the streets, Rahul said he was confident the entire Opposition would unite on the matter. He reiterated that the MGNREGA Bachao Abhiyan, beginning January 5, would anchor the party’s nationwide mobilisation.

The Congress indicated that the twin battles over MGNREGA and SIR would shape its political narrative heading into the 2026 Assembly elections, framing them as decisive tests of the Centre’s commitment to labour rights, federalism and democratic participation.