Kumarghat: Jan 30. As part of a state wide call by the All India Congress Committee (AICC), the Congress on Friday staged a four-hour sit-in protest in Dharmanagar demanding the revival of MGNREGA and withdrawal of what it termed as its dilution by the Centre.
The protest, organised by the Dharmanagar Block Congress, was held from 2 pm to 6 pm near the Chandrapur Gram Panchayat office under the 56 Dharmanagar Assembly constituency. The programme was part of the “Save MGNREGA” campaign being observed across the state.
Addressing the gathering, state Congress secretary Chayan Bhattacharjee said the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), launched in 2006 under the leadership of then Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, had played a crucial role in strengthening the rural economy by ensuring employment and creating durable assets in villages. He alleged that although the BJP had opposed the scheme when it was in the Opposition, the Congress government had implemented it in the interest of rural India.
Bhattacharjee accused the present BJP-led central government of virtually shutting down MGNREGA and replacing it with a new scheme, calling the move “unfortunate” and anti-poor. He said the protest was aimed at demanding the full restoration of MGNREGA and the scrapping of the new law introduced in its place.
The sit-in saw the presence of 56 Dharmanagar Block Congress president Subal Goswami, former block president Parimal Chakraborty, state Congress member Kabel Kanti Nandi, North District Mahila Congress president Mansi Malakar, along with several district- and subdivision-level leaders.
During the programme, Congress workers raised slogans against the Centre’s policies and reiterated their demand for safeguarding the interests of rural workers.
