Ahead of the launch of a nationwide “MGNREGA Bachao Andolan” proposed by the Congress on February 5, the party’s top leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge are likely to visit Bandlapalli village in Narpala mandal of Anantapur district—the site where the flagship employment guarantee scheme was launched 20 years ago.
The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) was inaugurated at Bandlapalli on February 2, 2006, by then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the presence of Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and the then Chief Minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy.
The proposal for the visit was put forth by A.P. Congress president Y.S. Sharmila and Congress Working Committee member N. Raghuveera Reddy. The party leadership is said to be actively considering it. The move assumes political significance as it comes ahead of the nationwide campaign the Congress plans to launch from February 5 to protest what it calls the Modi government’s attempt to “convert workers’ rights into a government dole.”
Meanwhile, the A.P. Congress has called upon all its district, mandal, and village-level leaders to begin a statewide campaign from January 5 to strengthen the implementation of MGNREGA and safeguard rural workers’ rights.
The party alleged that workers across the State are facing serious problems, including pending wage payments, irregularities in job cards, lack of basic amenities at worksites, and misuse of muster rolls, which it attributed to government negligence. It said the Congress has “always stood with the poor and working classes” and will intensify efforts to ensure timely wage disbursal, greater transparency in job card issuance, fair work allocation, and accountability in project execution.
The A.P. Congress plans to carry out the campaign in coordination with INDIA bloc partners, labour unions, farmers’ organisations, and its youth and women’s wings to ensure wider participation. As part of the initiative, party leaders and cadres will organise programmes at district, mandal, and village levels, conduct door-to-door outreach, document workers’ grievances, submit complaints through the VB-GRAM G platform, and stage peaceful protests demanding corrective measures.
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