Congress to intensify protest against MGNREGA rollback
KINS Desk
Jammu, Jan 09 (KINS): The Congress party has announced an intensified agitation against the scrapping of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), stating that it will take the issue directly to the grassroots while also planning to surround the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly.
Addressing a press conference in Jammu on Friday, All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary in charge of Jammu and Kashmir affairs and Rajya Sabha MP Sayeed Naseer Hussain as per news agency Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS) said the party would continue its protests until the Government of India restores MGNREGA in its original form.
“The Congress is holding a nationwide agitation against this decision and will mobilise people across the country until the move is rolled back. We are open to discussions, even sending MGNREGA to a Joint Parliamentary Committee for improvements, but restoration of the scheme is non-negotiable,” Hussain said.
He said the protest campaign formally began on January 8 with a national-level workshop titled MGNREGA Bachao Sangram. The agitation will continue with press conferences at district headquarters on January 11, a one-day fast on January 12, and symbolic protests outside district headquarters from January 13 to 29.
As part of its outreach strategy, the Congress will also launch extensive panchayat-level programmes involving pamphlet distribution, social and cultural events to spread awareness about the importance of MGNREGA.
“On January 30, ward-level protests will be held under party monitoring. From January 31 to February 6, district collectors’ offices across Jammu and Kashmir will be surrounded as part of the agitation,” Hussain said.
He added that between February 7 and 15, the party plans to surround the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, followed by participation in a zonal-level rally.
Hussain said the Congress would also raise the issue again in Parliament, adding that former ministers, sitting and former MLAs, district presidents, and senior leaders would be appointed as observers to oversee the protest programmes.
He further said the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) has already launched the Hamari Riyasat Hamara Haq campaign, with a major programme held at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. He noted that Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi have written to the Prime Minister demanding restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
“Going by the government’s attitude, it appears there is no intention to restore statehood. We will intensify this campaign and take it to every household under the ‘Har Ghar Dastak, Ghar Ghar Dastak’ programme to create mass awareness. The campaigns for MGNREGA and statehood will continue simultaneously,” he said.
Commenting on the controversy over MBBS seats at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME), Hussain said that admissions were conducted through NEET on merit, but the issue was unnecessarily politicised, leading to polarisation.
He said if the central government had concerns about the institute being funded through donations to the Vaishno Devi shrine, it could have explored granting it a minority status, as is the case with several institutions in southern India, to balance financial and administrative considerations.
“The decision appears to have been taken in haste and will adversely affect the future of students. These are serious questions that the central government must address responsibly,” Hussain added.(KINS)
