Following Parliament's passage of the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act—or VB-G RAM G Act—replacing MGNREGA last month, Congress has announced a 45-day nationwide agitation titled 'MGNREGA Bachao Sangram' to demand restoration of rural employment rights. The protests criticize the new law's centralization, while the BJP ramps up outreach ahead of state elections.
Building on opposition protests during the bill's passage in Parliament, Congress on Saturday detailed a year-long campaign against the VB-G RAM G Act, with the first 45-day phase from January 8 to February 25, 2026.
Party leaders, including Jairam Ramesh, K C Venugopal, and Mallikarjun Kharge, argue the new law ends the constitutional right to work by limiting employment to Centre-notified panchayats, capping budgets, and centralizing control from Delhi—undermining MGNREGA's decentralized model from 2005.
Phase one features: state preparation meetings (Jan 8), district press conferences (Jan 10), one-day fasts (Jan 11), panchayat outreach (Jan 12-29), sit-ins (Jan 30), district dharnas (Jan 31-Feb 6), Vidhan Sabha gheraos (Feb 7-15), and zonal rallies (Feb 16-25). The effort aims to replicate the farm laws agitation scale.
In response, BJP leaders J P Nadda, Nitin Nabin, and Shivraj Singh Chouhan are leading online sessions for state units, promoting the Act's focus on water conservation, infrastructure, livelihoods, and climate resilience to counter 'false narratives' before polls in four states and one Union Territory.
