Last Updated on January 3, 2026 2:29 pm by INDIAN AWAAZ
Staff Reporter / New Delhi
Drawing inspiration from the successful repeal of the three contentious farm laws, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) on Saturday announced a determined campaign to force the rollback of the recently enacted V RAM G Act, which has replaced the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA).
The Congress declared a 45-day nationwide agitation, to be held from January 8 to February 25, accusing the BJP-led central government of weakening the statutory employment guarantee for rural households. Party leaders said the new law undermines the rights of the rural poor and dilutes the assurance of guaranteed employment that MNREGA provided for nearly two decades.
As part of the movement, the Congress will organise village- and block-level protests, padayatras, public meetings, and submissions of memoranda to district administrations across the country. The party also plans to directly engage MNREGA workers and rural communities to highlight what it described as the “anti-poor and anti-worker” character of the new legislation.
AICC General Secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal said sustained public pressure and mass mobilisation—on the lines of the farmers’ movement—would force the government to retreat. “Just as the Modi government was compelled to repeal the farm laws, it will have to withdraw the V RAM G Act as well,” he said, reiterating the party’s commitment to restoring MNREGA in its original form.
AICC General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh said the agitation would not be Delhi-centric but spread across the country, from panchayat to block levels, and would be carried out in the form of “Sangaram”, On the role of other opposition parties, he said discussions were underway and that INDIA bloc partners may join the movement.
The agitation is expected to involve Congress leaders, MPs, MLAs, frontal organisations, grassroots workers and civil rights groups.