The Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) staged a significant demonstration on Sunday, December 21, 2025, at the City Heart Market in Kharar. The protest was directed against the Central government's decision to rename and amend the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme.
Leaders Decry "Attack on the Poor"
The protest was spearheaded by PPCC president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring and Mohali district Congress president Kamal Kishore Sharma. It witnessed large-scale participation from party workers across the Mohali district. As a symbolic act of defiance, the gathered crowd burnt an effigy of the Central government while raising slogans against the BJP-led administration.
Addressing the protesters, Warring stated that the Congress was holding similar district-level protests nationwide to safeguard MGNREGA. He emphasized that the law, enacted two decades ago under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi and Dr. Manmohan Singh, was a vital lifeline guaranteeing 100 days of employment to the underprivileged. "It played a crucial role in sustaining families, especially during the Covid pandemic," he asserted.
Allegations of Deliberate Weakening and Data Critique
Warring launched a sharp critique against the Centre, alleging a deliberate attempt to weaken the scheme's framework. He highlighted a fundamental shift in its operation: "Earlier, employment was demand-driven. Now Delhi decides the budget ceiling." He illustrated his point with a stark comparison, suggesting that while Punjab might require Rs 10,000 crore for the scheme, the Centre sanctions only Rs 5,000 crore and subsequently refuses additional funds.
He also criticized the mandated 40 per cent state contribution, labeling it unjust when states are already fulfilling their tax and GST obligations to the central exchequer.
To bolster his argument, Warring cited official data from Ludhiana district. He revealed that out of 1.30 lakh MGNREGA job card holders, only 54,000 families received work in the previous year. Shockingly, a mere 12 families managed to complete the promised 100 days of employment, according to the District Commissioner's report.
Warnings of Escalation and Broader Concerns
The PPCC president also expressed strong opposition to the proposed shift to biometric attendance via mobile apps. He warned that this technological mandate would inevitably exclude poor and marginalized workers, drawing parallels to past difficulties experienced with fingerprint-based ration distribution systems.
Issuing a stern warning, Warring threatened to intensify the agitation if the Centre does not reconsider its amendments. "If this continues, Congress will gherao BJP leaders' homes and offices, and launch a statewide movement like the farmers' agitation," he declared. He accused the BJP of extinguishing the hearth fires of Punjab's poor and vowed that the Congress would fight this battle with full force.
Concluding his address, he urged the Punjab Chief Minister to forcefully raise the issue with the Central government in Delhi and ensure adequate budgetary provisions are made to protect the livelihoods of MGNREGA workers in the state.
