The Congress party has ignited a pan-India ‘MGNREGA Bachao Sangram,’ a crusade to rescue the beleaguered rural jobs program from government apathy. From the dusty plains of Bihar to the hills of Himachal Pradesh, party workers are hitting the ground, rallying laborers and farmers against what they term a ‘conspiracy to kill MGNREGA.’
This isn’t mere rhetoric. The 100-day campaign plan includes dharnas, foot marches, and public hearings to expose delays in wage payments that have left families hungry. In Rajasthan, where MGNREGA once thrived, participants highlighted how work demand fulfillment rates plummeted to under 70% last fiscal year, forcing many to migrate to cities.
Party spokespersons blame the Modi government’s priorities—favoring corporate tax cuts over social welfare. They cite official stats showing a 35% drop in central funding since 2014, adjusted for inflation. ‘We’ve seen ghost projects and fake job cards under this regime,’ charged a Congress MP during a Delhi presser.
Grassroots stories fuel the fire: a widow in Madhya Pradesh who fought for six months for her dues, or tribal communities in Odisha denied water conservation works. The campaign calls for 150 days of guaranteed work per household, digital transparency, and a wage hike to Rs 300 per day.
While the ruling alliance counters with claims of improved efficiency via technology, Congress is leveraging this platform to rebuild its rural base. With elections looming, the ‘Sangram’ positions the party as the true champion of the aam aadmi. Will it sway the countryside? Only time will tell, but the fervor is palpable.