The Haryana Congress today staged a strong protest against the changes made by the BJP government to MNREGA. The party said the BJP is deliberately trying to weaken the social security net meant for the poorest sections of society.
Party in-charge BK Hariprasad, former Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda, State President Rao Narendra, former State President Chaudhary Udaybhan, MPs Deepender Singh Hooda, Jaiprakash JP, Varun Mulana, Satpal Brahmachari, Jitendra Baghel, along with other senior leaders, MPs, MLAs, and thousands of workers participated.
Party leaders, workers and supporters marched from the Congress office towards the Assembly. However, police stopped the peaceful march midway. The protesters raised slogans against what they termed the government’s dictatorial attitude and alleged conspiracy to abolish MNREGA. They waved placards and party flags to register their protest. Police detained several senior leaders and thousands of workers.
Speaking on the occasion, Bhupinder Singh Hooda alleged that the BJP government has undermined the rights of Dalits, backward classes, the poor, the rural population and panchayats. He said Congress stands firmly with MNREGA workers and is campaigning across the country to protect their employment.
He said that after coming to power, the BJP began weakening MNREGA. “The Congress’ reply to a question in Parliament revealed that over 8 lakh MNREGA workers were registered in Haryana. However, in 2024-25, the government provided 100 days of work to only 2,100 families. The government neither provided work nor compensation as outlined in the scheme,” he said.
“This means the BJP had already virtually abolished the scheme in Haryana. Now, with the name change, the scheme has been wiped out. However, Congress will oppose it at every level and force the government to reverse this anti-people decision,” he added.
Hooda said the MNREGA scheme, introduced by the Congress government, was meant to advance Mahatma Gandhi’s Gram Swaraj vision. He said its budget was demand-driven, meaning there was no fixed cap. All states and districts were required to provide work to anyone who sought it, and it was the responsibility of the central government to allocate the necessary funds.
“But now, the budget has been divided between the Centre and the states in a way that makes its allocation and management difficult,” Hooda said.
Also read: Congress protest: Chandigarh Police imposes curbs
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