The top leadership of the Congress party convened in New Delhi on Saturday for a crucial Working Committee (CWC) meeting to devise a strategy for a nationwide agitation against the Centre’s new rural employment law.
The meeting, held at Indira Bhavan, was attended by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi. Chief ministers of Congress-ruled states, state party presidents, and other senior leaders were also present at the high-level deliberation.
Protest Roadmap Against VB-G RAM G
The primary agenda for the CWC, the party’s highest decision-making body, is to finalise a protest roadmap against the recently enacted Vikasheel Bharat–Guarantee for Employment and Livelihood Mission (Rural), or VB-G RAM G. This new law has replaced the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), a flagship scheme of the previous Congress-led UPA government.
According to party sources, the leadership is discussing the political and administrative fallout of the new legislation. The Congress has raised concerns that the revised framework alters the fundamental nature of rural employment support by changing the funding structure and placing a greater responsibility on state governments to formulate their own schemes within a fixed timeline.
Broader Political Review
Beyond the rural employment law, the CWC is also taking stock of the broader political landscape. Discussions reportedly include the recent violence in Bangladesh, environmental issues concerning the Aravalli region, and the party’s organisational preparedness for upcoming assembly elections in several states.
The meeting is expected to conclude with the approval of a structured action plan. This plan may involve a series of rallies, demonstrations, and public outreach programmes across all states and districts in the coming weeks. An official announcement detailing the decisions and the timeline for the nationwide movement is anticipated after the deliberations are complete.
