New Delhi, Dec 27: Senior Congress leaders convened a critical Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting on Saturday to discuss the party’s strategy against the central government’s decision to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act. The extended CWC session saw the participation of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, CPP chairperson Sonia Gandhi, and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, along with chief ministers from Karnataka, Telangana, and Himachal Pradesh. State unit presidents also attended the crucial deliberations. The meeting, held ahead of assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry, focused on finalizing the opposition’s action plan against the new employment guarantee legislation passed during the winter session of Parliament. Congress and other opposition parties have strongly criticized the replacement of MGNREGA, calling it an insult to Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy after his name was removed from the scheme’s title. President Droupadi Murmu has already granted assent to the new law. The VB-G RAM G Act guarantees 125 days of wage employment annually to rural households whose adult members volunteer for unskilled manual work. However, unlike the previous centrally-funded scheme, the new law mandates a 60:40 funding ratio between the Centre and states. The CWC is expected to chart out a comprehensive strategy to counter the government’s move while also finalizing the party’s electoral approach for the upcoming state polls.
Congress Leadership Convenes CWC Meeting to Plan Strategy Against Centre’s Waqf Bill
