Congress launches 45-day ‘MGNREGA Bachao Sangram’ against new rural jobs legislation

The Congress connected Saturday (January 10, 2026) launched a 45-day nationwide agitation, the ‘MGNREGA Bachao Sangram’, opposing the replacement of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with the recently enacted Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (VB-G RAM G) law.

The campaign, which volition proceed till February 25, seeks to property for the implicit withdrawal of the VB-G RAM G Act, and the restoration of the MGNREGA successful its archetypal signifier arsenic a rights-based authorities guaranteeing employment, strengthening the relation of panchayats, and ensuring accountability successful implementation.

As portion of the launch, the enactment organised property conferences astatine territory office crossed the state connected Saturday, highlighting what it described arsenic the mode successful which MGNREGA was repealed and replaced during the Winter Session of Parliament. District-level protests and a day-long accelerated are scheduled for January 11.

The enactment would proceed the agitation until the “right to work, livelihood and accountability” was restored, Congress wide caput Jairam Ramesh said, announcing the campaign.

“The Congress is committed to seeing this conflict done until we unafraid the restoration of the close to work, livelihood, and accountability that the Modi authorities has snatched with its bulldozer demolition of the MGNREGA,” Mr. Ramesh said successful a station connected societal media level X.

The programme outlines phased mobilisation crossed agrarian and municipality areas. From January 12 to 29, the enactment volition organise chaupals (village gatherings) and wide interaction programmes astatine the gram panchayat level.

This volition beryllium followed by ward-level peaceful sit-ins connected January 30 to property for the close to work.

Between February 7 and 15, the Congress plans State-level gheraos (encircling) of Vidhan Sabhas, earlier concluding the run with 4 large rallies betwixt February 16 and 25.

The enactment said that dissimilar the agitation against the now-repealed workplace laws, which it described arsenic Delhi-centric, the MGNREGA Bachao Sangram would beryllium rooted astatine the panchayat, block, district, and State levels.

The VB-G RAM G Act was passed successful Parliament amid protests successful December 2025, with the Rajya Sabha clearing the Bill by a dependable ballot connected December 18, hours aft its transition successful the Lok Sabha. President Droupadi Murmu gave her assent connected December 21, turning it into law. The Act guarantees 125 days of wage employment per agrarian household each fiscal year.