NEW DELHI (Economy India): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the Narendra Modi-led government, alleging that its alleged attempt to dismantle the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is aimed at centralising power and weakening the rights of workers, panchayats, and states.
Gandhi said the government’s “intent to destroy” MGNREGA would strip rural workers of their right to negotiate wages, reduce the authority of local self-governments, and reverse decades of decentralisation. He claimed such policies would push the country back to an era where power and wealth were concentrated in the hands of a few, likening it to the rule of kings and maharajas.
The Congress leader shared a video on social media platform X showing his interaction with MGNREGA workers. In the video, workers said the rural employment scheme had significantly improved their lives, but alleged that recent policy changes were undermining its core purpose. Gandhi said the same workers were now accusing the government of “enslaving workers” by weakening the programme.
In a Hindi post accompanying the video, Gandhi wrote that the Modi government’s approach was designed to erode workers’ bargaining power, weaken panchayats by tying their hands, and curtail the authority of state governments by centralising decision-making in New Delhi.
MGNREGA, launched in 2006, guarantees 100 days of wage employment annually to rural households and is widely seen as a cornerstone of India’s social safety net. The scheme has often been at the centre of political debate, with opposition parties accusing the government of underfunding and administrative dilution, while the Centre has maintained that reforms are aimed at improving efficiency and transparency.
There was no immediate response from the government to Gandhi’s remarks.
