New Delhi, Dec. 27 – The Congress party has formally declared a “war” on the centre’s recent rebranding of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA). During a high‑profile Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting held in Delhi on Saturday, party president Mallikarjun Kharge announced the launch of a nationwide “Save MGNREGA Campaign” starting on Jan. 5, 2026. He framed the move as a fight to protect the constitutional right to work for millions of rural Indians.
“Today at the CWC meeting we took an oath for a major movement centred on MGNREGA,” declared senior leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on X, sharing a video from the press conference. “The Indian National Congress will launch the ‘Save MGNREGA Campaign’ from January 5. This is the constitutional right to work for villagers and labourers—we will defend it at all costs. Jai Constitution, Jai Hind!”
Earlier that day, AICC president Kharge, together with Rahul Gandhi, denounced the new law as an assault on the poor, on federalism, and on Gandhi’s legacy. He reminded reporters that the UPA‑era MGNREGA, launched by Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, had turned Directive Principles into enforceable rights, empowering Dalits, Adivasis, women and other marginalised groups. “It stopped migration, built infrastructure, protected the environment and saved lakhs of lives during COVID. If MGNREGA hadn’t existed, many would have perished,” he said.
Criticising the decision to remove Mahatma Gandhi’s name, Kharge called the change an “insult” and an ideological assault. “They can’t tolerate Gandhi’s name because his surname is Gandhi—he’s being targeted,” he noted, drawing a parallel to the farmers’ protests that successfully challenged harmful legislation. He warned that the shift to a 60:40 centre‑state funding split would burden state governments and that the government’s unilateral decision lacked consultation.
Rahul Gandhi likened the overhaul to “demonetisation,” calling it a devastating single‑handed attack that stripped away demand‑driven employment, decentralised panchayat powers and wage guarantees. “It hurts states, infrastructure, labourers and the vulnerable—while benefiting a few,” he said.
The CWC resolved unanimously to confront what it called a “conspiracy to turn rights into charity,” raising slogans of “Jai Samvidhan—Jai Hind.” Kharge referenced praise from global observers and even a NITI Aayog study that lauded MGNREGA’s durable assets. With the opposition united, the Congress now aims to mobilise villages across the country, positioning the campaign as a defence of the third tier of democracy and rural dignity against central overreach.
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