4 months ago
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Leader of Opposition successful the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi connected Tuesday (January 20, 2026) accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his BJP authorities of undermining the protections provided for mediocre radical and attempting to centralise power.
On a sojourn to Raebareli, his parliamentary constituency, Mr. Gandhi alleged that the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) had been undermined by the BJP.
“Narendra Modi wants to instrumentality each the powerfulness into his hands and starve the poor. Removing Gandhiji’s sanction from MGNREGA is an insult to him. But the main contented isn’t conscionable the sanction change. The Modi authorities has eliminated the protections that were provided to our mediocre people,” Mr. Gandhi said. “The Congress enactment is agitating crossed the state to prevention MGNREGA and we basal firmly with the workers to support them. On the 1 hand, we are protecting the nationalist and connected the different hand, Narendra Modi is taking distant each the wealth of the state and giving it to selected industrialists,” helium added.
‘Weakening MGNREGA’
He was addressing a MGNREGA Chaupal successful his constituency, aimed astatine educating radical astir the loopholes successful the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-GRAM G), which replaces the UPA-era MGNREGA, 2005.
The Congress person accused the authorities of systematically “strangling” MGNREGA truthful that funds meant for workers, women, and the mediocre could beryllium diverted to large industrialists similar Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani. “The BJP is not capable to extremity the strategy openly, truthful they are weakening it slowly,” Mr. Gandhi said, adding that the Congress has launched a nationwide question to support MGNREGA and basal firmly with workers.
The rulers of India are lone moving for the rich, helium said. “Unemployment is the large contented successful the state but they [the BJP] volition not speech astir it. They would effort to deviate you whenever the contented of unemployment is raised. We are witnesser of 2 antithetic Indias today, 1 is for the billionaires, affluent and the different for the poor,’’ the Leader of Opposition said.
‘Decisive struggle’
The State portion of the Congress said that Mr. Gandhi’s sojourn had boosted the morale of workers successful Raebareli and crossed Uttar Pradesh “The BJP is creating an ambiance of ‘fear’ and ‘hatred’ successful the society. They are besides taking distant livelihood information from mediocre radical similar labourers and farmers done the VB-GRAMG Act which replaces MGNREGA, which was introduced by the Congress government, and helped millions travel retired of poverty, strengthened agrarian infrastructure, and provided a ineligible warrant of employment. Rahul Ji is warring a decisive conflict against the BJP’s anti-poor policies,” said Anil Yadav, a elder U.P. Congress leader.
Mr. Gandhi besides inaugurated 31 improvement projects dedicated to the radical of the constituency nether the MP Development Fund and laid the instauration stones of 8 caller projects astatine the Bhuemau Guest House successful Raebareli. “Through these improvement projects, an important measurement has been taken towards strengthening the infrastructure successful Rae Bareli, improving nationalist amenities and giving caller impetus to section development,” helium said.
He besides inaugurated the Raebareli Premier League T20 Cricket Tournament organised by Youth Sports Academy. The Congress person met with each the teams and players participating successful the tournament, encouraging them and emphasising the value of sportsmanship, discipline, and teamwork. He said that sports not lone fortify younker physically, but besides thatch leadership, self-confidence, and unity.
During the visit, helium besides received the long-lost driving licence of his grandfather, Feroze Gandhi, which had been preserved for decades by a section family. It was handed implicit to Mr. Gandhi by Vikas Singh, a subordinate of the organising committee of the cricket tournament.
