The Aryavarth Express
Shimla (Himachal Pradesh): Senior Congress leaders in Himachal Pradesh, led by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, on Monday staged a dharna at the Mahatma Gandhi statue at the historic Ridge Maidan in Shimla, protesting what they described as the Union government’s move to weaken or replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with the proposed G-RMG Act.
The protest saw participation from the entire state Cabinet, including Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee president Vinay Kumar, ministers, MLAs, and senior party leaders. The leaders sat in a silent demonstration, holding placards to express opposition to the proposed changes to the rural employment guarantee programme.
Speaking to reporters after the protest, Chief Minister Sukhu said the Cabinet had held a detailed discussion on MGNREGA and unanimously decided to register its protest at the statue of Mahatma Gandhi. “The scheme was started in Gandhiji’s name to provide employment in villages. The way MGNREGA has been weakened compelled us to take this stand,” he said.
Sukhu pointed out that MGNREGA had enabled women, men, and elderly people to find work within their own villages. He said the scheme was originally demand-driven, with works planned based on requests from Panchayats, Gram Sabhas, and local communities.
“Now the system has been terminated. MGNREGA has been converted into an allocation-driven scheme,” he alleged, adding that decisions on works are now being taken by the Centre, limiting the role of Panchayats, block development committees, and women workers. “This has weakened decentralisation and Panchayat powers,” he said.
The Chief Minister said MGNREGA had functioned successfully for nearly 20 years and was a flagship initiative envisioned by former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and former Congress president Sonia Gandhi. “The spirit of the scheme has been diluted. We believe it must remain demand-driven, with wages paid according to Panchayat requirements, without centralised notifications,” Sukhu added, describing this as the reason for the peaceful protest.
Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, addressing the media, termed MGNREGA the world’s largest employment guarantee scheme. “For two decades, it has strengthened rural livelihoods by ensuring that funds reach villages directly,” he said.
Agnihotri alleged that the BJP had opposed MGNREGA since its inception and had gradually attempted to weaken it. Referring to Mahatma Gandhi, he said the Cabinet had united to oppose any move to dilute the scheme or remove Gandhi’s name.
“Mahatma Gandhi’s ideology cannot be erased. Removing his name from a scheme reflects a particular mindset,” Agnihotri said. He further alleged that decision-making had shifted away from villages to higher levels, turning the scheme from demand-driven to supply-driven.
Accusing the Centre of undermining decentralisation and weakening states, Agnihotri said such moves disempower rural communities and go against the spirit of village self-governance.
Both leaders reiterated that while governments may introduce new programmes, the legacy and ideals of Mahatma Gandhi should not be compromised, and vowed to continue raising the issue in support of rural workers and Panchayati Raj institutions.
