SHILLONG: The Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) on Thursday announced a state-wide agitation against the BJP-led Central Government’s decision to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G).
The announcement was made by MPCC President Vincent H. Pala after a high-level party meeting held in Shillong. The Congress has warned of sustained protests, including hunger strikes, across Meghalaya in the coming weeks.
Terming the move an attack on the 100-day employment guarantee, Pala accused the Centre of dismantling a welfare scheme that has served as a lifeline for rural households since 2005.
“The BJP is determined to erase Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy and undermine the legal right to work. By scrapping MGNREGA, the government is taking away a guaranteed source of livelihood, particularly from rural women who depend heavily on this scheme,” Pala said.
Explaining the party’s objections, Pala said that under MGNREGA, citizens had a legal right to demand work within 15 days or receive compensation if employment was not provided. He alleged that the new VB-G RAM G scheme removes this statutory guarantee and places employment entirely at the discretion of the Central Government.
He further criticised the centralized nature of the new mission, stating that while MGNREGA was demand-driven, the proposed replacement would force state governments to depend on central funding allocations and recommendations.
The MPCC announced that the protest programme will begin on January 12, 2026, and continue until February 25, 2026, with hunger strikes, district-level demonstrations, and mass awareness campaigns planned across all districts of Meghalaya.
Pala said the agitation is part of a nationwide movement led by the Indian National Congress to oppose what it calls “anti-poor” policies of the BJP-led NDA government and to safeguard employment rights for rural communities.
