New Delhi | December 27, 2025
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday called for a nationwide campaign to oppose any move to weaken or end the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA), announcing that the party will launch a “Save MGNREGA Campaign” from January 5 across the country.
Addressing the media after a meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), Kharge said the party had unanimously resolved to defend the rural employment scheme and take the issue directly to the people.
“MGNREGA is not just a government program. It represents the constitutional right to work. Weakening or dismantling it is a direct attack on the rights of the poor and workers,” Kharge said.
‘Attack on Democracy and the Constitution’
Kharge warned that any attempt to end MGNREGA would trigger widespread public anger, drawing parallels with the three farm laws, which were repealed after sustained protests.
“Just as farmers forced the government to withdraw the farm laws, the people will rise again to protect MGNREGA,” he said, adding that democracy, the Constitution, and citizens’ rights were facing “serious threats.”
He also criticized the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, calling it a “planned conspiracy” to curtail democratic rights. Kharge urged party workers to ensure that the names of Dalits, Adivasis, backward classes, and minorities are neither deleted nor shifted from voter lists.
‘MGNREGA Is a Global Model’
Kharge described MGNREGA as a visionary law introduced by the UPA government, stating that its impact was so significant that it was named after Mahatma Gandhi.
“Ending MGNREGA is an insult to Mahatma Gandhi and a direct assault on the right to dignified employment,” he said, accusing the Modi government of taking unilateral decisions without proper study, consultation, or parliamentary debate.
Rahul Gandhi Joins the Call
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi echoed Kharge’s remarks, calling the move to end MGNREGA an attack on federalism, the poor, and states’ rights.
“MGNREGA was not just an employment scheme; it was a development framework that strengthened rural India and gave people dignity,” Rahul Gandhi said. He compared the decision to previous unilateral moves such as demonetization, calling it “dangerous and damaging.”
Rahul Gandhi expressed confidence that the entire opposition would unite to oppose the government’s decision.
Wider Concerns Raised
During the meeting, Kharge also condemned attacks on Hindu minorities in Bangladesh and criticized alleged assaults on Christmas celebrations in India, warning that such incidents damage communal harmony and India’s global image.
The CWC meeting was the first since the Mahagathbandhan’s defeat in the Bihar Assembly elections and was attended by senior leaders including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, KC Venugopal, Shashi Tharoor, Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, and Telangana CM Revanth Reddy.
