Congress Working Committee to meet on Dec 27 to discuss MGNREGA repeal, political situation

New Delhi, Dec 18 (PTI) The Congress Working Committee, the party's highest decision-making body, will meet on December 27 to deliberate on the government's move to replace MGNREGA with a new legislation as well as the current political situation, sources said on Thursday.

This would be the first meeting of the CWC following the Bihar polls debacle.

It also assumes significance as the party's strategy for the next round of assembly elections in first half of 2026 -- Assam, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala and West Bengal -- could be framed.

The opposition party is also looking to up the ante over the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005 repeal and make it a rallying point against the government.

Speaking about the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said this is not merely a case of renaming MGNREGA but it is the "systematic murder of the world's largest employment scheme".

Kharge alleged that the government is taking away the right to work from people and asserted that "there will be a nationwide movement against it".

The G RAM G Bill to replace the UPA-era MGNREGA was passed in the Lok Sabha on Thursday.

The Opposition has been strongly opposing the bill, accusing the government of insulting Mahatma Gandhi and diluting the provisions of MGNREGA.

According to the bill, it will provide a statutory guarantee of 125 days of wage employment in a financial year to every rural household whose adult members volunteer to undertake unskilled manual work.

Within six months from the date of commencement of the VB-G RAM G Act, states will have to make a scheme consistent with the provisions of the new law. PTI ASK ZMN