Sonia Gandhi Criticizes Govt Action on Employment Scheme

Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi strongly criticized the Modi government, accusing it of undermining the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). She alleged that the government has been consistently trying to weaken the scheme over the past 11 years, despite it being a vital lifeline for the poor and marginalized sections. Sonia Gandhi released a special video on Saturday to express her concerns.

She stated that the scheme, which acted as a lifeline for the poor during crises like the COVID-19 pandemic, is now being diluted without consulting stakeholders or taking the opposition into confidence. Sonia Gandhi strongly objected to the removal of Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the scheme and warned that recent changes would erode the powers of village panchayats, centralizing decision-making in Delhi. Emphasizing that the scheme supports millions of livelihoods, she asserted that the Congress remains fully committed to fighting against what she termed a regressive law to protect the employment rights of the poor.