Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. (file)
Jagran Bureau, New Delhi. Congress party will start a campaign across the country from January 5 against implementing Ji Ram Ji in place of MNREGA. This decision has been taken in the meeting of Congress Working Committee called on Saturday. The party has described this decision of the government as snatching away the rights of the poor. He also said that just as the government had withdrawn the three black agricultural laws under the pressure of opposition parties and farmers, similarly he will strengthen the government to change the decision taken regarding MNREGA.
While discussing with journalists after the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said that 'the government is probably forgetting that if there was no MNREGA, lakhs of people would have died during the Corona period. Under this, people were provided employment with guarantee. This has helped in stopping migration from villages, but now the government has tried to snatch away the rights of the poor, people are angry due to the cancellation of MNREGA. Their anger will prove costly for the government.
He told that in the meeting all the party leaders also took an oath that they will protect MNREGA at any cost. Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi also termed the government's decision to end MNREGA as a move to weaken the federal structure and the Panchayati Raj system.
He said that this will also affect the rural economy and it will suffer huge losses. He said that like demonetization, this decision of MNREGA is also of PM Modi and has been taken without asking the cabinet. He will fight against it from the streets to the Parliament.
The issues of SIR and vote theft, killing of Hindus in Bangladesh and Aravali conservation were also discussed in the meeting. The committee also expressed concern over the killing of Hindus in Bangladesh. Former party president Sonia Gandhi, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, party general secretaries KC Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh, Shashi Tharoor, Digvijay Singh etc. were present in the working committee meeting.