In a sharp political confrontation, Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has launched a scathing attack on the Congress party's newly announced protest campaign aimed at protecting the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). The minister labeled the opposition's movement a 'Bhrashtachaar Bachao Sangram' (Save Corruption Campaign), escalating the war of words over rural employment schemes.
A Clash of Narratives on Rural Employment
The controversy erupted a day after the Congress party declared it would conduct a nationwide 'MGNREGA Bachao Sangram' from January 8 to February 25. Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Minister Chouhan accused the Congress of deliberately spreading misinformation and falsehoods regarding the central government's new Viksit Bharat- Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, often referred to as the VB-G RAM G scheme.
Chouhan presented a robust defense of the new initiative, claiming it is technologically advanced and superior to MGNREGA. He argued that the older scheme had become synonymous with corruption and inefficiency. "MGNREGA had ceased to be a symbol of honest employment," the minister stated, citing damning evidence from social audits.
Allegations of Systemic Corruption in MGNREGA
The minister detailed a series of alleged malpractices that plagued the implementation of MGNREGA. He pointed out that more than 1.091 million complaints were registered through social audits conducted in gram sabhas, revealing a deeply flawed system.
Chouhan highlighted several key issues:
- Contractors were allegedly carrying out work in the names of labourers, bypassing the intended beneficiaries.
- Wages were withdrawn by showing machine-based work, contravening the manual labour focus of the scheme.
- The same roads were reportedly shown as 'new' projects year after year, indicating fraudulent record-keeping.
- Data showed around 30% of registered workers were above 60 years of age, with instances of 80-year-olds listed as labourers and widespread fake attendance records.
VB-G RAM G: A New Vision for Rural Development
Contrasting the old with the new, Chouhan positioned the VB-G RAM G scheme as a transformative, "corruption-free, technology-driven and worker-centric reform." He emphasized that the focus has now shifted to creating permanent assets in villages through concrete development works.
The new scheme will prioritize:
- Water conservation projects
- Construction of roads, schools, and hospitals
- Natural disaster management infrastructure
Chouhan also drew a financial comparison, stating that over Rs 8.48 lakh crore has been spent on rural development under the Modi government, compared to only Rs 2 lakh crore during the UPA regime. He questioned whether the earlier spending genuinely created permanent assets or improved the lives of villagers and workers.
Congress Digs In, Forms Coordination Committee
Undeterred by the criticism, the Congress party is moving ahead with its planned agitation. On Sunday, the party announced the formation of a coordination committee to oversee the 'MGNREGA Bachao Sangram'. Senior party functionary Ajay Maken will serve as its convenor.
The committee, constituted by party president Malikarjun Kharge, includes prominent members such as Jairam Ramesh, Sandeep Dikshit, Udit Raj, and Priyank Kharge. The nationwide campaign has three core demands:
- Withdrawal of the VB-G RAM G Act.
- Restoration of MGNREGA as a rights-based law.
- Ensuring the right to work and empowerment of panchayats.
As the political battle lines are drawn, Minister Chouhan made a final appeal for cooperation, asserting that "this is not the time for agitation." He called on the Congress to stop misleading the nation and spreading falsehoods, setting the stage for a heated debate on rural employment and development in the coming weeks.
