Rahul Gandhi Slams MGNREGA Repeal, Calls It an Attack on Federalism and Poor

After a Congress Working Committee meeting, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi accused the Union government of weakening state powers and dismantling MGNREGA. Gandhi said recent decisions were a "direct assault on state autonomy, infrastructure development, and the rights of marginalised communities."

Addressing reporters, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha also claimed that changes to the rural jobs scheme were pushed through entirely from the Prime Minister's Office. Gandhi alleged there was no meaningful discussion with Cabinet ministers or other stakeholders before key decisions.

Rahul Gandhi MGNREGA criticism on centralisation of power

Rahul Gandhi argued that the central government concentrated authority over funds and schemes that states earlier handled. In the press conference, Gandhi described this as an "attack on the states of India" and linked the move to wider centralisation of decision-making in New Delhi.

Explaining the impact on state governments, Gandhi said core welfare schemes earlier backed local works and jobs. "They are simply taking away money that belongs to the state, decision-making power that belongs to the state," Gandhi said. According to Gandhi, this affected rural employment and local infrastructure projects supported through MGNREGA funds.

Rahul Gandhi MGNREGA defence as development framework

Gandhi stressed that the rural employment scheme played a much larger role than wage support. Gandhi said, "MNREGA is just not a work program. It is a conceptual framework, a development framework." Gandhi noted that the scheme had drawn attention from several countries observing India’s rights-based model.

Gandhi highlighted that Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge often referred to international feedback on the programme. "Kharge ji mentioned that he visited 16 countries, and every single country where he went appreciated the fact that our government had come out with an entirely new development rights-based concept," Gandhi added.

Gandhi argued that MGNREGA had been created after long debate on rights and development within India. "This has been destroyed single-handedly by the Prime Minister, without asking his cabinet, without studying the matter," Gandhi said, linking the issue to broader tensions between the Centre and states.