The Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Saturday pledged to “protect” the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) “at all costs” and take the party’s message to “every last village” through a nationwide campaign starting January 5, days after the Centre introduced a new rural jobs scheme.
While the final format of the campaign is yet to be finalised, people aware of the matter said it will include rallies, door-to-door drives, sit-in demonstrations, meetings, and distribution of leaflets on the flagship programme of the previous UPA government. It was replaced in the recently held winter session by the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission(Gramin), or VB-G RAM G.
“The Congress will take the lead and launch the ‘MGNREGA Bachao Abhiyan’ (Save MGNREGA Campaign) from January 5. We will fight unitedly for the rights of rural labourers to dignity, employment, fair wages and timely payment,” Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said after a meeting of the CWC, the party’s highest executive body, in Delhi.
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, compared the replacement of the scheme to demonetisation and accused the government of attacking India’s federal structure. “It is a devastating attack on the states and the poor, carried out by the Prime Minister single-handedly, much like ‘Notebandi’ (demonetisation). It will cause tremendous hardship for the weaker sections,” Gandhi said.
The BJP dismissed the Congress’s allegation, with Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan accusing the Opposition of indulging in “purely political clamour” and shedding “crocodile tears”.
The bill replacing MGNREGS became a key point of contention in the winter session, with the Opposition protesting both inside and outside Parliament as it accused the government of disregarding the interests of the weaker sections. It was passed by both Houses and eventually signed into a law by President Droupadi Murmu last week.
“The entire country will suffer from the arbitrary actions of a single Prime Minister – jobs will be lost and the rural economy will collapse. When villages are weakened, the country is weakened,” Gandhi said. He said that beyond being a rights-based programme, MGNREGA “strengthened our Panchayats,” and its removal represents an “attack” on the democratic framework.
Kharge described the scrapping of MGNREGA as a “cruel dismantling” of the rights-based, demand-driven programme. “Had MGNREGA not existed, millions of people would have suffered. It has been the biggest support for poor and vulnerable sections in the villages. From 2011-12 to the present, millions of families have benefited from employment through it,” Kharge said. He added that MGNREGA empowered Dalits, tribespeople, women, and other marginalised communities by providing employment in their own villages and reducing migration.
“This government has made significant attempts to take away the rights of the poor, not only in villages but across the country. Those who depend on these schemes are rightly angry, and this anger will have consequences. Just as farmers successfully fought to repeal the three controversial farm laws, our movement will now work to protect MGNREGA and oppose the new law,” he said.
Later, Congress general secretary in charge of communication, Jairam Ramesh, said, “At today’s Congress Working Committee meeting, 91 members present took a solemn oath to launch the MGNREGA Bachao Abhiyan from 5 January 2026. The fight is on.”
At the CWC meeting, senior Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi suggested that the party circulate a leaflet to highlight that the new law converts guaranteed employment into a normative entitlement, the people said.
Defending the VB-G RAM G Act, Chouhan said the revamped rural employment framework emphasises technology, transparency, and timely wage payments, ensuring funds are credited directly to workers’ bank accounts. “Congress sees this as an attack. Under this scheme, it has been decided that decisions will no longer emanate from Delhi, but from the villages. Gram Panchayats will sit together and prepare their own plan.
Under the new scheme, Chouhan said, employment has not been diluted rather made even stronger as the number of employment days has been increased from 100 to 125 days.
The new scheme marks a major departure from the MGNREGS framework on three key parameters – funding, availability of work, and central oversight over disbursal of funds. Under the new scheme, financial liability will be shared between the Centre and states—90:10 for northeastern and Himalayan states, 60:40 for other states and Union territories with legislatures, and fully borne by the Centre for UTs without legislatures. Work will pause for 60 days during peak sowing and harvesting seasons to ensure farm labour availability. The Centre will determine state-wise allocations and set wage rates, with any excess cost borne by states.
In his opening speech, the Congress president also discussed the upcoming elections in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry.
Kharge told senior colleagues that all must campaign for the polls and flagged the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) as a “serious threat” to democratic rights. He also urged state in-charges and other leaders to monitor the ongoing SIR exercise in 12 states closely, people aware of the matter said.
Singhvi suggested that the party should advocate for the selection panel for the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners to consist of the Prime Minister, LoP, and Chief Justice of India, as well as for 100% VVPAT implementation. Congress leader Shashi Tharoor briefed the panel on the situation in Bangladesh, while Pawan Khera alleged misconduct by the government, the people added.