Raebareli: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday, January 20, accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of seeking to centralise power and weakening welfare safeguards for the poor, alleging that the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) had been undermined.
Addressing party workers during his visit to Raebareli, his parliamentary constituency, the Congress MP said the government had “insulted” MGNREGA by changing its name and, more importantly, had withdrawn the security it provided to the marginalised, which he described as an attack on the roots of democracy.
“The Congress is running a nationwide movement to protect MGNREGA. We stand with labourers and are committed to protecting their rights,” he said.
Gandhi alleged that the prime minister wanted the country’s wealth to be concentrated in the hands of industrialists Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani.
“On one side, we are protecting the people, while on the other, Narendra Modi is diverting the country’s entire wealth to a select few,” he claimed.
Earlier in the day, Gandhi inaugurated a cricket tournament in Raebareli. The Congress leader, who is on a two-day visit to his parliamentary constituency, also met party office-bearers and workers.
Parliament on December 18, 2025, passed the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, that replaces the 20-year-old UPA-era MGNREGA and guarantees 125 days of rural wage employment every year.
The bill was passed amid vociferous protests by the opposition, with Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan asserting it was essential to fix the shortcomings in the previous scheme.
Opposition protested the removal of Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the new law, and accused the Centre of putting the financial burden on states.
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