New Delhi: In a scathing critique of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday accused the BJP-led Centre of oppressing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) workers. He strongly endorsed a parliamentary committee’s recommendation to fix the daily wage of MGNREGA workers at ₹400 and ensure 150 days of work per household annually.
Taking to social media platform X, Kharge referenced the high-level committee led by former Rural Development Secretary Amarjeet Sinha, which recently proposed an increase in MGNREGA wages and the scheme’s budget. Kharge expressed his support for the committee’s suggestions, highlighting that it was Congress which introduced MGNREGA to benefit the poorest sections of society.
“The Modi government’s treatment of MGNREGA workers reveals its anti-poor stance. Since Aadhaar-based payments were introduced, workers under the scheme have been removed, depriving many of their livelihood,” Kharge posted.
In his post, Kharge pointed out that the Modi government has allocated the lowest MGNREGA budget in the last decade, accusing the government of undermining the scheme’s effectiveness. “This government has failed to recognize the importance of MGNREGA and is continuously weakening it,” Kharge added.
The Congress leader also referenced a sharp contrast in Modi’s previous remarks. In 2015, Modi had described MGNREGA as a “living monument” of Congress’s failure to fight poverty over 60 years, only to later declare it as the “nation’s pride” in 2016.
The MGNREGA budget allocation, which stood at ₹33,000 crore in 2013, rose to ₹86,000 crore by 2025-26. Despite this, Kharge’s criticism points to the sharp reduction in funding under the current administration. The recent recommendation from the parliamentary standing committee on rural development for fixed wages in MGNREGA, he emphasized, was a necessary step to ensure fair compensation for the workers.
