Congress leaders unite in Jind to protest, seek restoration of MGNREGA

Jind: In a first after defeat in the assembly elections, leaders from all factions of the Congress party were seen united during a day-long protest held outside the Mini Secretariat in Jind on Thursday under the ‘MGNREGA Bachao Sangharsh Abhiyan'. The protest was organised to demand the restoration of MGNREGA with 200 days of guaranteed work and and retention of Mahatma Gandhi's name in the scheme.Leaders from former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda's faction, Rajya Sabha MP Randeep Surjewala, and former Union minister Birender Singh were seen sharing the same platform, sending out a message of unity within the party.
Congress leaders and workers gathered outside the Mini Secretariat, addressed the gathering, and later took out a procession. A memorandum was submitted to the city magistrate, quoting the President of India. They sought restoration of MGNREGA with 200 days of guaranteed work. The protest was held under the Congress district president Rishipal Haibatpur.Along with Congress workers, MGNREGA workers also participated, carrying traditional tools such as spades and baskets.Addressing the gathering, Rishipal Haibatpur launched a sharp attack on the BJP govt. He said that changing the name of MGNREGA to "VBG Ramji" and bringing in new laws was a direct attack on the rights of workers. The Congress party stands firmly with the poor, labourers, and farmers. Any attack on MGNREGA is a direct assault on the livelihood of the poor. The BJP govt is conspiring to snatch employment from workers, but Congress will give a befitting reply on every front, he said.MGNREGA is not merely a scheme, but a lifeline for crores of poor families. He demanded that MNREGA be restored in its original form, with guaranteed employment for 200 days in a year and timely payment of wages, he added.He also strongly advocated that Mahatma Gandhi's name must remain respectfully associated with the scheme.District congress in-charge Rishipal Yadav, who attended as the chief guest, also questioned the govt's policies and elaborated on the adverse impact of the VB-GRAM G scheme.Politically, the protest sent out a strong message of unity within the Congress. Long considered divided due to factionalism, the Jind Congress organisation presented a completely different picture, with leaders and workers from all factions sharing one platform and speaking in one voice against the govt.The ideological clarity of the Congress party, by demanding 200 days of guaranteed employment, timely payments, and retaining Mahatma Gandhi's name with the scheme, firmly positioned it as a champion of the labouring class, said Deepak Pindara, district general secretary of the Congress party. MSID:: 127938522 413 |