The Congress Party in Punjab continues its protests against the central government’s move to rename and amend the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) scheme. As part of the ongoing demonstrations, a MNREGA Save Struggle Rally was held today in Pathankot, organized under the supervision of former MLA Joginder Pal.
Addressing the rally, Punjab Congress President Raja Warring criticized the central government, calling the amendments a betrayal of the working class. He pointed out that under the original MNREGA, 100% of the funds were provided by the central government. Under the new provisions, the center will provide only 60% of the funds, leaving the remaining 40% to the state governments.
Raja Warring highlighted that many states, including Punjab, are already financially weak and cannot bear this additional burden. He cited previous data showing that despite a promise of 100 days of work, workers received an average of only 48 days. He added that the recent announcement of 125 days of work is largely symbolic, as full implementation of the 100-day promise was never achieved.
During the rally, Pratap Singh Bajwa responded to comments about Congress leader Ravneet Singh Bittu’s alleged betrayal. Bajwa supported Rahul Gandhi’s statement, saying that Bittu had left Congress for personal gain despite being elected three times as a Member of Parliament by the same party. He stated that the term “traitor” was justified in this context.
The rally emphasized Congress’s commitment to protecting MNREGA as a workers’ welfare scheme and called for full funding and proper implementation to ensure rural employment security.
