Congress fears NDA government may kill MGNREGA

NEW DELHI: Alleging a plot by the NDA regime to scarp the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act ( MGNREGA), the flagship social sector scheme brought by the erstwhile UPA regime, the Congress on Friday asked the Modi government to clarify what it intends to do with this national programme.

The AICC has also accused the NDA government of being "completely clueless" on dealing with inflation and claimed that some of the measures spelt out by the Finance Minister and the Food Minister on Friday to deal with the price rise "are nothing but a recycling of the administrative measures" the Manmohan Singh regime had proposed.

Referring to a report about Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje writing to the union rural development minister Nitin Gadkari, seeking the MGNREGA to be changed into a scheme than an Act, AICC spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said, "the fact the BJP CM has sought the repeal of the MGNREGA Act, makes it appear as part a larger plan to scarp this hugely popular social sector scheme. We therefore, demand, the Modi government make a categorical statement on its intent with MGNREGA."