Cong sets up coordination panel for ‘MGNREGA Bachao’ Sangram – The Tribune

According to the Congress, the committee has been formed with immediate effect on the directions of the Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, and senior Congress leader Ajay Maken has been appointed as its convener.

The committee includes Jairam Ramesh, Sandeep Dikshit, Udit Raj, Priyank Kharge, D Anasuya Seethakka, Dipika Pandey Singh, Sunil Panwar and Manish Sharma. In addition, heads of all frontal organisations, along with chairpersons of the AICC OBC, SC, Minority and Adivasi Congress departments and the Kisan Congress, will also be members of the coordination body.

The move signals the party’s intent to centralise planning and execution of the campaign as it gears up for sustained political mobilisation across states. The coordination committee is expected to supervise outreach programmes, protests and political messaging linked to the campaign, which the Congress has positioned as a defence of rural livelihoods and employment security.

Earlier, to protest against the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G Act, 2025), the Congress on Saturday had announced the launch of a nationwide campaign called the MGNREGA Bachao Sangram.

Congress general secretaries K C Venugopal (organisation) and Jairam Ramesh (communications) had said the 45-day campaign, scheduled from January 10 to February 25, was a direct response to growing concerns that the VB-G RAM G Act had been deliberately designed to dismantle the MGNREGA, a scheme that has been a lifeline for crores of rural families.

“Every year, 5–6 crore rural families work in their own villages under MGNREGA. During a crisis, this scheme becomes the strongest safety net for the poorest sections of society. Through this 45-day campaign, the Congress will be demanding withdrawal of the VB-G RAM G Act and restoration of MGNREGA in its original form,” Venugopal had said.