By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Feb 15: The Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) will stage a protest rally on February 20, marching from Malki Ground to the temporary Assembly building, to oppose the newly introduced VB GRAM G Act.
The demonstration has been strategically planned with the Budget Session of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly is schedule to begin from Monday.
The decision to organise the protest was taken at a recent meeting convened by A. Chellakumar, AICC general secretary in-charge of Meghalaya, along with State Congress president Vincent H Pala.
A senior Congress leader on Sunday said the rally aims to register strong opposition to what they termed as an attempt to dilute the spirit of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
A senior Congress leader informed that party workers and members from across the state are expected to participate in large numbers.
The AICC general secretary in-charge of Meghalaya is also likely to join the rally. Protesters intend to march as close as permitted to the Assembly premises where the budget session is underway.
The Congress party has recently launched the nationwide “MGNREGA Bachao Sangram” campaign to protest against what it calls the Centre’s move to weaken the rural employment scheme. Enacted in 2005 by the UPA government under then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, MGNREGA guarantees 100 days of wage employment annually to rural households.
The party claims the scheme has generated over 180 crore person-days of work since its implementation in 2006 and has significantly improved rural livelihoods through asset creation and plantation activities.
The Congress argue that under MGNREGA, gram panchayats and gram sabhas had the authority to prepare action plans and ensure local participation in decision-making.
However, they allege that the VB GRAM G Act centralises planning through a Union government “master plan,” thereby reducing the role of local bodies and weakening decentralisation and the federal structure.
The party further contended that the new law removes the legal guarantee of 100 days of employment and introduces a 60-day pause period annually during which no work would be provided to job-card holders. It also expressed concern over changes in the funding pattern, claiming that while the Union government earlier bore 90 per cent of wage costs, the new framework mandates states to contribute 40 per cent — a move Congress leaders believe could discourage states from providing adequate employment.
Describing the renaming and replacement of MGNREGA as an “attack on the dignity of labour” and the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi, the party alleged that the move undermines the legacy of decentralised governance and rural empowerment.
Through the ongoing nationwide campaign, which began on January 10 and will conclude on February 25, 2026, the Congress plans to organise panchayat-level meetings, gram sabha resolutions, district-level protests, and state-level rallies.
The party has placed several demands before the Centre, including the immediate restoration of MGNREGA in its original form, reinstatement of the legal right to work, guaranteed timely wages, accountability mechanisms, and the implementation of a uniform minimum wage of Rs 400 across the country.
