Ambala, February 3:- Congress today protested outside the DC office of Ambala under the banner of "Save MGNREGA" movement and raised strong slogans against the policies of the BJP government. Many senior Congress leaders, office bearers and a large number of workers were present in this protest/demonstration.
Addressing the gathering during the protest, Congress leader Davinder Bajaj said that the BJP government is bent on gradually abolishing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA). Bajaj alleged that budget cuts and delayed payments are depriving the poor, laborers and rural families of employment. Congress workers have unitedly taken to the streets in protest against this.
Davinder Bajaj said that the Congress party will continue to fight for the rights of the poor and laborers and the movement to save MGNREGA will continue. He called the removal of Mahatma Gandhi's name a historical and moral insult. He said that MGNREGA was associated with the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi who was a symbol of rural self-governance, self-reliance, poverty alleviation and the dignity of labour.
The complete removal of his name from the new act is not only a historical injustice but also a disrespect to the greatest leader of the country. This move seems politically motivated and shows an attempt to weaken the rights of the rural people.
A large number of Congress workers including Maulana MLA Pooja Chaudhary, Narayangarh MLA Shelly Chaudhary, City MLA Nirmal Singh, District President Pawan Agarwal, Parvinder Pari and Dushyant Kumar were present at the event. Harjit Singh Babbal said that MGNREGA provided employment to lakhs of people but the BJP government has made a new law which has deprived them of their jobs.
After the protest, a memorandum was submitted to the President through the Deputy Commissioner. The memorandum demanded immediate withdrawal of the "Vikas Bharat Guaranteed Employment and Livelihood Mission" implemented by the BJP government. It has also been demanded that instead of weakening MGNREGA, it should be reinstated as a fundamental right to ensure guaranteed employment in rural areas.