A nationwide movement is urgently needed on MNREGA: Kharge

New Delhi: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has emphasized the need for a nationwide movement against the government's move to scrap MGNREGA, deprive people of their right to vote through the Special Summary Revision (SSR), and the misuse of institutions like the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), terming it a threat to democracy. He said that just as pressure was mounted on the government to repeal the farm laws, a similar effective strategy needs to be worked out for the restoration of MGNREGA.

Mr. Kharge was addressing the Congress Working Committee meeting at the party headquarters here on Saturday. He said the Modi government is snatching away the rights of the poor and imposing authoritarianism by depriving people of the rights given by the Constitution. The opposition is being maligned by misusing institutions like the ED, while atrocities are being committed against the downtrodden, the poor, and the tribal classes, making it necessary to devise a comprehensive strategy to tackle this.

The Congress President said this meeting has been convened to discuss the party's future strategy, as democracy, the Constitution, and citizens' rights are facing grave threats from all sides. This crisis has been created due to the government's style of governance. In the winter session of Parliament, the government has scrapped MGNREGA, which is crucial for rural masses, leaving millions of poor and vulnerable people helpless.

The Modi government's decision to scrap MGNREGA is an insult to the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, and party leader Sonia Gandhi has also recently expressed deep concern over this. He said the government's move is an attack on the rights of citizens as per the guidelines of the Constitution. The Congress-led UPA government had initiated schemes like the right to work, right to food, right to education, and right to health for citizens, but it is painful to see that the current government has launched a brutal and planned attack on these rights of citizens.