TPCC reviews Save MGNREGA campaign, announces statewide mobilisation against alleged dilution of MGNREGA. Congress protests new employment law, vows to protect rural job security, panchayat authority, and workers’ rights in Tripura.
The Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) on Thursday held a detailed review meeting at the state party headquarters to chalk out strategies for the upcoming “MGNREGA Bachao Sangram” (Save MGNREGA struggle) campaign. The meeting focused on strengthening organisational preparedness and ensuring large-scale public participation across Tripura.
The review meeting was chaired by Pradesh Congress president Ashish Kumar Saha and attended by senior party leaders, office bearers, and representatives from various district and block-level committees. The leadership deliberated extensively on campaign logistics, outreach strategies, and coordination mechanisms to mobilise rural workers and supporters.
Addressing reporters after the meeting, TPCC president Ashish Kumar Saha said the Congress party has announced a nationwide 45-day movement from January 10 to February 25, 2026, to protest against what he described as the systematic weakening of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
“The campaign, titled MGNREGA Bachao Sangram, aims to oppose policies that dilute the rights-based framework of MGNREGA and threaten the livelihood security of millions of rural families,” Saha said.
He specifically criticised the newly introduced Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (VB-G RAM G) Act, alleging that it undermines the fundamental principles of MGNREGA. According to Saha, the new legislation centralises administrative control and erodes the authority of local self-governments, particularly gram panchayats, which play a crucial role in implementing employment guarantee schemes.
Congress leaders at the meeting stressed that MGNREGA has been a vital lifeline for rural households in Tripura. They noted that the scheme has provided guaranteed wage employment during periods of economic distress and has acted as a safety net against poverty, hunger, and forced migration.
Party leaders expressed concern that any dilution of MGNREGA would have serious consequences for vulnerable sections of society, including daily wage earners, marginal farmers, and women workers who depend heavily on the scheme for financial stability.
Saha reiterated that the Congress party stands firmly with rural workers and would resist any attempt to dismantle or weaken MGNREGA. He said the TPCC would work in close coordination with district, block, and grassroots-level committees to ensure maximum participation in the nationwide agitation.
“The fight to save MGNREGA is not merely a political protest. It is a struggle to protect a legal right guaranteed to citizens and to safeguard the dignity of rural labour,” Saha asserted.
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The Congress leadership also accused the BJP-led central government of spreading misinformation regarding employment schemes and ignoring the real hardships faced by rural communities. They emphasised that the Save MGNREGA campaign seeks to raise awareness, mobilise public opinion, and pressure the government to withdraw policies that threaten rural employment security.
The TPCC announced that a series of rallies, public meetings, and awareness programmes would be organised across Tripura as part of the campaign, reinforcing the party’s commitment to defending employment rights and social justice.
