Gandhinagar, Feb 16 (IANS) The Congress on Monday held a ‘Jan Akrosh Sabha’ in Gandhinagar against the Centre’s proposal to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, coinciding with the opening of the Gujarat Assembly’s budget session.
Organised by the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee, the rally was attended by senior leaders, MLAs, MPs, and party workers, along with farmers, tribal representatives, health workers who have allegedly not received salaries for four months, families affected by demolition drives, and members of voluntary organisations.
Addressing the gathering, AICC general secretary Mukul Wasnik alleged widespread distress among farmers, rising unemployment, and corruption.
“Farmers are distressed, women are facing harassment, youth are poor and unemployment has peaked, and corruption has reached its height, yet the governments of Bhupendra Patel and Narendra Modi are in deep slumber,” he said.
Wasnik also criticised the Centre’s economic policies, claiming that, instead of making India self-reliant, they had increased India’s dependence on the United States.
Referring to a tariff arrangement, he alleged, “America imposed an 18 per cent tariff on India, while India imposed zero tariff on America.”
He said the agitation would continue until there was a change of government in Gujarat.
Gujarat Congress president Amit Chavda said the party had undertaken statewide outreach programmes, including yatras covering nearly 5,000 km across Saurashtra, North, and Central Gujarat.
He alleged harassment of youth over drugs, liquor, and caste certificates, and corruption in MGNREGA through commissions.
CLP leader Tushar Chaudhary alleged corruption “from panchayat to Parliament” and claimed that forest officials were harassing tribal labourers.
Former MLA Mahesh Vasava spoke of long-standing struggles over “water, forest and land”, while Banaskantha MP Geniben Thakor and Congress MLA Anant Patel raised concerns about governance and administrative inaction in tribal areas.
The party said protests on various public issues would continue during the budget session and indicated that preparations for the 2027 Assembly elections would begin early, with Rahul Gandhi expected to campaign in the state.
–IANS
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