Govt attacking cause of poor by undoing MGNREGA, says Sonia Gandhi

New Delhi: Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on Saturday accused the Modi government of having "attacked" the poor by weakening the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), alleging that it was being replaced by the new G RAM G Act. She said the Congress would agitate against the move and criticised the government for dropping Mahatma Gandhi's name from the national programme.

"The Congress played a major role in introducing and implementing MGNREGA, but it was never a party-specific initiative. It was a scheme for the nation and its people. By weakening this law, the Modi government has attacked the interests of crores of farmers, labourers and landless rural poor," Gandhi said in a video message.

Subtly underscoring her role in the enactment of the law, she added, "We are fully prepared to fight this attack. Twenty years ago, I fought to secure the right to employment for our poor brothers and sisters, and today I am committed to fighting against this unjust law."


Recalling that MGNREGA was passed during the tenure of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Gandhi said the Act had been a "revolutionary step" that benefited millions of rural families.

"It became a source of livelihood, especially for the underprivileged and extremely poor. It reduced distress migration from villages, provided a legal right to employment and empowered Gram Panchayats," she said.