Senior Congress leader and Member of Parliament Jairam Ramesh strongly condemned a police lathi charge on a student-led protest in Varanasi on Sunday. The demonstration, organized under the banner 'Save MGNREGA,' took place in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's parliamentary constituency.
Congress Leader Slams 'Trouble-Engine Government'
In a post on the social media platform X, Jairam Ramesh launched a scathing attack on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He described the administration as a "trouble-engine government" that he claimed was rattled by peaceful, democratic questioning. Ramesh stated that the march, led by National Students' Union of India (NSUI) president Varun Chaudhary, was a constitutional exercise of rights. He accused the Yogi Adityanath and Narendra Modi-led governments of responding with disproportionate force by ordering a brutal police lathi charge.
The post included a video that appeared to show police personnel manhandling NSUI national president Varun Choudhary during the incident. This allegation has added fuel to the ongoing political confrontation over rural employment schemes.
Nationwide Agitation Against New Employment Act
The protest in Varanasi is part of a larger, coordinated movement by the Congress party. The agitation is a direct response to the enactment of the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, or VB-G RAM G Act. This new legislation, which recently received President Droupadi Murmu's assent, replaces the long-standing Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
Earlier on the same day, Congress workers in Varanasi held a separate protest under the 'MGNREGA Bachao Sangram' banner at Townhall Park. Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai, along with party workers, observed a symbolic fast near statues of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar.
Speaking to ANI, Rai accused the BJP government of trying to erase Mahatma Gandhi's legacy by ending the MGNREGA law. He alleged that the police were deployed to suppress dissent, including by preventing opposition leaders from leaving their homes. "They want to even suppress our fast. But still, each of our Congress workers will fight for the rights of the poor people," Rai asserted.
Heavy Security and Political Fallout
Anticipating the NSUI march, authorities in Varanasi had significantly bolstered security. Uttar Pradesh Police and paramilitary forces tightened arrangements around the Prime Minister's public outreach office. All access routes were placed under strict surveillance to prevent any breach of security.
The political battle over rural employment is set to intensify. On January 3, the Congress party announced a nationwide three-phase agitation titled 'MGNREGA Bachao.' The party frames the issue as a fight to protect the rights of India's rural poor, positioning the new VB-G RAM G Act as a removal of a crucial social safety net. The events in Varanasi have become a flashpoint in this escalating conflict between the ruling party and the opposition.
