Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday launched a sharp attack on the BJP-led government, alleging that it was systematically weakening the rural employment guarantee scheme and “strangling the Right to Work and torturing crores of poor people”.
In a post on X, Kharge claimed that the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) was being gradually dismantled, accusing the Narendra Modi government of pushing vulnerable rural households deeper into economic distress.
Citing what he described as the latest findings on the implementation of the scheme, Kharge alleged that nearly 44 lakh fewer families had received work under MGNREGA, while around 67 lakh fewer labourers had been provided employment compared to previous figures.
He further claimed that the number of families completing the guaranteed 100 days of work had fallen sharply by 40.5 per cent, along with a 21.5 per cent decline in person-days generated under the scheme.
According to Kharge, the decline in employment opportunities had also led to a significant loss of income for rural households, with each MGNREGA family allegedly suffering an average income loss of Rs 1,221.
The Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha also criticised the Centre over the delay in implementing the VB-G RAM G framework, alleging that labourers had been left “wandering helplessly from door to door” in search of work.
Targeting the ruling dispensation’s economic policies, Kharge alleged that the government was favouring “select capitalists” while systematically eroding the rights and welfare protections meant for the poor.
