The Congress has launched a 45-day nationwide campaign opposing the repeal of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), betting that rural employment remains a potent political issue in an election-heavy year. The campaign, titled‘MGNREGA Bachao Abhiyaan’, began on January 10 and will continue till February 25, targeting the BJP-led government’s move to replace the UPA-era jobs scheme with the Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin), or VB-GRAMG.
For the Congress, the agitation is a high-stakes political battle. The party argues that MGNREGA is a lifeline for rural workers and farm labourers, and claims its replacement shifts a major financial burden onto debt-stressed states. Acknowledging that daily-wage labourers cannot sustain prolonged protests, the Congress has opted for a decentralised, micro-level mobilisation strategy rather than mass sit-ins.
According to the party’s plan, the campaign is being rolled out in phases. Preparatory meetings, press conferences and symbolic fasts were held between January 8 and 11, followed by village-level chaupals, pamphlet distribution and nukkad sabhas from January 12 to 29. Sit-ins were scheduled for January 30, district-level dharnas until February 6, Vidhan Sabha gheraos from February 7 to 15, and zonal AICC rallies between February 16 and 25.
The campaign has been structured across panchayat, block, district and state levels to accommodate the limited capacity of MGNREGA workers to participate in long protests. However, energising party cadres remains a challenge amid winter conditions, recent electoral setbacks and an aggressive BJP ground campaign. With elections due in states such as West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry, pressure is mounting on state units to deliver results.
In Haryana, implementation has faced logistical hurdles as newly appointed district presidents are engaged in training camps, temporarily slowing village-level outreach. State leaders have sought to address this by forming committees led by senior leaders to oversee assembly segments and ensure daily monitoring.
Madhya Pradesh has emerged as a key testing ground for the campaign’s grassroots effectiveness. While press conferences and fasts were held across districts, some leaders privately expressed concern over slow momentum and insufficient ground-level coordination. State Congress president Jeetu Patwari accused the BJP of dismantling MGNREGA and warned that states would struggle to finance their share under the new scheme.
In Uttar Pradesh, the Congress has launched a parallel 100-day programme linking MGNREGA with other regional issues. The state unit plans extensive panchayat-level outreach and a Mahapanchayat in Varanasi, hoping for participation from senior national leaders to boost visibility. Party workers, however, acknowledge that the BJP’s strong organisational presence and leadership advantage pose a serious challenge.
Elsewhere, including Maharashtra, organisational fatigue and delayed local elections have further complicated mobilisation efforts. As the BJP promotes its new rural employment model nationwide, the Congress faces a delicate balancing act. Whether the MGNREGA Bachao Abhiyaan can revive cadre morale, mobilise rural voters and translate into political gains ahead of key state elections remains uncertain.
