Mumbai/New Delhi, December 21, 2025: Congress leader and AICC General Secretary Kumari Selja on Sunday launched a sharp attack on the BJP-led central government, alleging that recent changes to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) have “destroyed the soul” of the world’s largest employment guarantee programme.
Addressing a press conference at the Regional Congress Office in Mumbai, the former Union Minister and Sirsa MP said MNREGA is not merely a welfare scheme but an economic lifeline for crores of rural families. She accused the Modi government of weakening the programme in the name of reforms and called the reported move to rename MNREGA an insult to Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals and a conspiracy against the rural poor.
Selja said MNREGA played a crucial role in sustaining rural India, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, when it provided much-needed employment support. However, she alleged that since 2014, the scheme has been systematically diluted through budget cuts, delays in wage payments, cancellation of job cards and the imposition of Aadhaar-linked conditions. As a result, rural workers are now able to secure only around 50 to 55 days of work annually, far below the guaranteed 100 days.
She further claimed that the new framework is dismantling the rights-based and demand-driven nature of MNREGA, turning it into a centrally controlled, conditional scheme.
According to Selja, powers are being taken away from Gram Sabhas and Panchayats and replaced with excessive centralised digital control, which ignores local needs and grassroots realities.
Calling it a serious assault on federalism, Selja said the Centre is retaining control over the scheme while shifting a major financial burden to the states. She alleged that the Modi government wants states to shoulder nearly 40 percent of MNREGA expenditure, amounting to ₹50,000 crore or more, despite the programme originally being fully funded by the Centre.
The Congress leader said MNREGA was earlier rooted in constitutional rights linked to Article 21 and guaranteed dignified employment to rural workers. Weakening it, she said, amounts to snatching the right to work from the poor and undermines the vision of Gram Swaraj.
Highlighting the origins of the scheme, Selja said MNREGA was conceived under Sonia Gandhi’s leadership and effectively implemented by the Manmohan Singh government. She stressed that the law did not offer charity but provided a legal right to work, making it one of the most successful rural employment programmes in the world.
Selja asserted that poverty cannot be addressed merely through direct cash transfers and accused the BJP government of adopting anti-worker policies by eroding MNREGA. She said the Congress party would oppose any move that weakens the scheme on every platform, from the streets to Parliament.
