In a significant show of force, Varanasi police on Sunday arrested leaders of the National Students Union of India (NSUI) who attempted to lead a protest march against the alleged weakening of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA). The demonstration, part of a nationwide agitation call, was planned from the Banaras Hindu University campus to the office in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's parliamentary constituency.
Heavy Security and Foiled March
Anticipating the protest, authorities deployed a heavy police force around the Banaras Hindu University campus since morning. Commissioner of police Mohit Agrawal and other senior officials personally monitored the situation. The police employed drone surveillance to keep watch on the main gate road of the university, ensuring strict vigilance.
In the afternoon, NSUI national president Varun Chaudhary and UP state chief Rishabh Pandey, along with activists, tried to commence their march from the women's college gate. However, a strong contingent of police and Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel immediately intervened to block their path. When the protesters attempted to maneuver around the police to reach the university gate, the officers moved to physically detain them.
During the scuffle, Varun Chaudhary fell on the road. Subsequently, both he and Rishabh Pandey were lifted by the police, placed on a bus, and transported to the Police Lines. Additional CP (law and order) Shivhari Meena confirmed that approximately 25 protesters were detained in connection with the incident.
Congress Leaders Placed Under Virtual House Arrest
Parallel to the student action, Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee president Ajay Rai had planned to lead a protest fast near the Gandhi statue at Town Hall. However, in a pre-emptive move, police reached the homes of Rai, district president Rajeshwar Patel, city chief Raghvendra Chaubey, and other workers in the morning, effectively confining them.
Despite these restrictions, Ajay Rai stated that he and several other office-bearers managed to reach Town Hall. They observed a fast in protest against what they termed the systematic weakening of the MNREGA scheme and attacks on the constitutional rights of rural communities.
Allegations and Key Demands
Speaking at the protest site, Ajay Rai framed MNREGA as a fundamental constitutional guarantee, not merely a government scheme. He launched a sharp critique against the central and state governments, accusing them of a deliberate strategy to undermine the employment program.
"The Modi-Yogi governments are deliberately weakening MNREGA so that employment in villages ends, migration increases, and poor workers are deprived of their rights," Rai alleged. He cited the non-payment of wages on time, failure to provide work despite demand, and the erosion of panchayat rights as evidence of an "anti-worker mentality."
Rai interpreted the police action as a sign of the government's discomfort with peaceful dissent. "When Congress gave a call for a peaceful stir, the move made the government uncomfortable," he said, adding that efforts to intimidate and confine leaders were a direct attack on democracy and the Constitution. He vowed that the Congress party would not be intimidated and that the struggle would continue until MNREGA is restored in full force.
The Congress leader outlined the party's core demands for the scheme:
- The legal right to work must be protected.
- Full wages for every work should be paid on time.
- Panchayat rights should be strengthened and restored.
- The VB-GRAM-G law should be withdrawn immediately.
The day's events in Varanasi highlight the escalating political tension over rural employment guarantees, setting the stage for further confrontations on the issue.
