AAP Leads Massive Protest in Punjab Against MNREGA Renaming, Calls Move Anti-Worker

India

-Gaurav Sharma

Thousands
of
workers
and
leaders
from
the
Aam
Aadmi
Party
(AAP)
gathered
in
Fatehgarh
Sahib,
Punjab,
on
Sunday
to
protest
against
the
Union
government’s
decision
to
rename
and
alter
the
Mahatma
Gandhi
National
Rural
Employment
Guarantee
Act
(MNREGA).
Protesters
described
the
move
as
“anti-worker”
and
demanded
that
the
rural
employment
scheme
continue
in
its
original
form
without
any
dilution
or
structural
changes.

During
the
protest,
AAP
workers
raised
slogans
against
the
central
government
and
held
banners
in
support
of
MNREGA.
Party
leaders
said
the
demonstration
was
meant
to
send
a
strong
message
that
any
attempt
to
weaken
the
scheme
would
directly
harm
poor
rural
households,
particularly
landless
labourers
who
rely
on
MNREGA
for
survival.

MNREGA
Workers
Fear
Impact
on
Rural
Employment

Many
MNREGA
workers
attending
the
protest
said
the
scheme
provides
rural
families
with
at
least
100
days
of
guaranteed
paid
work
every
year.
They
noted
that
in
Punjab
and
several
other
states,
MNREGA
acts
as
a
backbone
of
the
village
economy,
especially
during
periods
of
crop
failure
or
seasonal
unemployment.

Workers
explained
that
MNREGA
wages
are
often
used
to
meet
basic
needs
such
as
food,
children’s
education
and
healthcare
expenses.
They
warned
that
uncertainty
surrounding
the
scheme
increases
insecurity
for
crores
of
rural
citizens.
Some
participants
also
expressed
concern
that
policy
changes
could
lead
to
reduced
work
availability
or
further
delays
in
wage
payments,
which
are
already
irregular
in
many
regions.

Row
Over
New
MNREGA
Name
Passed
in
Parliament

The
protest
comes
after
the
Union
government
renamed
MNREGA
as
“Viksit
Bharat
Gaurantee
For
Rozgar
and
Ajivika
Mission
(Gramin)
(VB-G
RAM
G)”.
According
to
AAP
leaders,
a
bill
related
to
this
change
was
passed
during
the
winter
session
of
Parliament.
Several
opposition
parties,
including
AAP,
have
opposed
the
renaming,
calling
it
unnecessary
and
harmful.

AAP
leaders
alleged
that
passing
the
bill
was
a
direct
attack
on
workers’
rights.
They
argued
that
MNREGA
is
not
merely
a
welfare
programme
but
a
legal
guarantee
of
employment
and
social
security
for
the
rural
poor,
and
any
change
undermines
its
original
intent.

Budget
Cuts
and
Fear
of
Phasing
Out
MNREGA

Speakers
at
the
rally
accused
the
Union
government
of
steadily
reducing
the
MNREGA
budget
over
the
years.
They
claimed
that
budget
cuts,
followed
by
the
renaming
of
the
scheme,
indicate
a
gradual
attempt
to
weaken
or
phase
out
MNREGA
altogether.

AAP
functionaries
warned
that
such
measures
could
reduce
job
opportunities
in
rural
areas
and
push
already
vulnerable
families
deeper
into
debt.

AAP
Warns
of
Nationwide
Agitation

AAP
leaders
declared
that
the
party
would
continue
to
fight
for
MNREGA
workers’
rights
“from
the
streets
to
Parliament”.
Protesters
warned
that
if
the
Union
government
does
not
roll
back
decisions
related
to
MNREGA,
the
agitation
will
intensify
across
the
country,
with
more
protests
and
coordinated
actions
planned
in
multiple
states
in
the
coming
months.