PM's 'Devastating Blow' to Rural Economy: Rahul Gandhi Slams MGNREGA Abolishment | India News
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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of dismantling the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) without consulting his Cabinet or the states, calling it a 'devastating blow' to the rural economy. Addressing a press conference after a crucial Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, Gandhi claimed that the PM's decision will have far-reaching consequences, including the erosion of the right to employment for the poor and the transfer of economic and political power from states to the central government. Gandhi alleged that the BJP-led government's move to scrap MGNREGA, a 20-year-old scheme that provided a minimum guarantee of 100 days of wage employment, is an attack on the democratic structure and the country's federal system. He claimed that the scheme not only provided employment but also strengthened local governments and injected money into rural economies. The Congress leader linked the decision to scrap MGNREGA to the decline of Indian labour, saying that the scheme guaranteed a minimum floor below which Indian labour could not fall. He alleged that the PM's decision will benefit corporate interests, such as Adani Group, at the expense of the poor and marginalized sections of society. Gandhi vowed that the Congress will resist the government's move and expressed confidence that the entire opposition will stand united against it. The party plans to launch a nationwide campaign, 'MGNREGA Bachao Abhiyan', on January 5 to protest the abolition of the scheme. The new VB-G RAM G Act, which replaces MGNREGA, provides for 125 days of wage employment for rural workers, but Gandhi claimed that it is a watered-down version of the original scheme that failed to address the concerns of the states and the poor. The Congress leader's comments come amid growing concerns over the impact of the PM's decision on the rural economy and the livelihoods of millions of people who depend on MGNREGA for their survival.
