MGNREGA Bachao: Congress Protest in National Capital
Delhi Congress leaders and workers observed a one-day fast and dharnas at district headquarters near Gandhi and Ambedkar statues, kicking off Phase 1 of the 45-day MGNREGA Bachao Sangram against the new VB-GRAM-G Act.
NEW DELHI- Delhi Congress leaders and workers observed a one-day fast and symbolic protests at district headquarters near statues of Mahatma Gandhi and BR Ambedkar on Sunday, marking a key part of Phase 1 of the party’s nationwide “MGNREGA Bachao Sangram” against the central government’s Viksit Bharat—Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-GRAM-G) Act.
Delhi PCC and DCC leaders, along with MGNREGA workers and activists, gathered at prominent sites in the capital to sit on dharna and fast, demanding the complete withdrawal of the VB-GRAM-G Act and restoration of MGNREGA as a rights-based law guaranteeing 100 days of work, timely wages, accountability and Panchayati Raj authority.
Party general secretary Jairam Ramesh, in a statement shared widely, said Congress is “committed to seeing this struggle through until we secure the restoration of the right to work, livelihood, and accountability that the Modi government has snatched.”
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KC Venugopal emphasised that the Delhi protests are part of a truly grassroots campaign, unlike previous Delhi-centric agitations, designed to reach every village and worker.x+3
The Delhi events featured speeches criticising the new law for erasing Mahatma Gandhi’s name, centralising control over funds and implementation, weakening state and local governments, and converting a legal entitlement into a mere “mission” without enforceable rights for rural poor, women, Dalits and Adivasis.
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Protesters carried placards reading “Restore MGNREGA,” “VB-GRAM-G = Dilution of Rights” and “Save Rural Livelihoods,” while distributing pamphlets explaining the changes and their impact on 10 crore annual workers.
Senior leaders from Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee joined the fasts, vowing legal challenges in court alongside street mobilisation.
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Today’s protests in Delhi align with similar one-day fasts and dharnas held simultaneously at district headquarters nationwide, fulfilling the January 11 commitment outlined in the campaign schedule approved by the Congress Working Committee.
Congress has invited opposition allies but plans to lead independently, framing the Sangram as a defence of constitutional values, village self-rule and the dignity of rural labour envisioned by Gandhi and Ambedkar.
Phase 2 begins January 12 with panchayat chaupals, mass contact and letter deliveries from party president Mallikarjun Kharge and LoP Rahul Gandhi to gram pradhans and workers.
