After kicking poor in stomach, Modi govt stabs them in back: Kharge on MGNREGA scrapping

New Delhi: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing of "stabbing the poor in the back after kicking them in their stomach" by scrapping the "UPA's visionary programme" MGNREGA.

In his opening remarks at the Congress Working Committee meeting here, he said an entire generation in India that escaped poverty because of the scheme named after Mahatma Gandhi but "without any study or evaluation, without consultation with states or parties", a new law 'V B-G RAM G' Act was imposed following the same method used to bring three black farm laws.

"The Modi government has scrapped MGNREGA, rendering crores of poor and vulnerable people helpless. After kicking the poor in the stomach, the Modi government has stabbed them in the back. Abolishing MGNREGA is an insult to the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi," he said.

"Friends, over the last 76 years, the Constitution has taught the citizens of this country enough that no dictator can snatch away their rights. But it is our collective responsibility to prepare a concrete plan on MGNREGA and build a nationwide mass movement. We will win this battle," he said.

Accusing the government the Modi government of being concerned only about the profits of a few big capitalists, he said this scheme transformed the face of rural India, as it curbed migration and freed villages from drought, hunger, and exploitation. It gave Dalits, Adivasis, women, and landless labourers the confidence that the government stood with them in the fight against poverty, he said.

"Today, there is an entire generation in India that escaped poverty because of MGNREGA — a generation that reached schools, became educated, and is living with dignity," he said.

Calling for a strong nationwide protest against the government move, he recalled that the Congress had hit the streets against the changes in the land acquisition law to benefit corporate interests in 2015 and forced the government to retreat. He also recalled the protests against farm laws also.

On the organisation front, he said the process of appointing new district presidents has been completed in nearly 500 districts across the country. In the next 120 days, the process will be completed in the remaining districts.

"But the matter is not limited to appointments alone. We must make the organisation active, accountable, and combative at the state, district, block, mandal, and booth levels," he said.

"Elections are due in Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Puducherry in April–May 2026. Our preparations are underway. We will fight these elections in unity and strengthen democracy," he said while asking workers also to prepare for the 2027 elections.

On the Special Intensive Revision, he alleged that it was a well-thought-out conspiracy to restrict democratic rights. "The collusion between the BJP and the Election Commission is evident...We must ensure that names of poor and vulnerable sections — especially Dalits, Adivasis, Extremely Backward Classes, and minorities — are not removed from the voter lists, nor transferred to other booths. For this, our BLAs must go door to door with voter lists," he said.