Congress says rights-based guarantees under assault; SIR a ‘serious threat’ to democratic rights
NEW DELHI — Raising alarm over attacks on minorities and the erosion of constitutional protections, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday accused the Modi government of “cruelly dismantling” the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), saying the BJP was systematically scrapping rights-based guarantees enshrined in the Constitution.
In his opening remarks at the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, Kharge said assaults on minorities and the weakening of welfare safeguards reflected a broader pattern of governance that prioritised power and privilege over constitutional values and social justice.
He said the scrapping of MGNREGA had left crores of rural poor and vulnerable citizens “helpless,” alleging that the decision was taken without study, parliamentary debate or consultation with states. Calling it an insult to Mahatma Gandhi, Kharge said the scheme embodied Gandhiji’s vision of Sarvodaya and was globally recognised as the world’s largest rural employment programme.
Quoting Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Kharge warned that the “death of MGNREGA” would have lasting financial and human consequences, calling it a collective moral failure.
The Congress president said the UPA government had strengthened Article 41 of the Constitution by operationalising the Right to Work, Food, Education and Health, while accusing the BJP-led Centre of dismantling this rights-based framework to favour a handful of large corporates.
Kharge recalled that MGNREGA, launched in 2006 by Sonia Gandhi and then prime minister Manmohan Singh, had reduced distress migration and helped generations escape poverty. Drawing parallels with the rollback of the land acquisition amendments and the repeal of the three farm laws after mass protests, he said the government would eventually be forced to restore MGNREGA.
He also condemned recent attacks on Hindu minorities in Bangladesh and incidents during Christmas celebrations in India, alleging attempts by BJP and RSS-linked groups to disturb communal harmony and damage India’s secular image.
Reiterating the party’s stand, Kharge said the Congress would lead a decisive nationwide struggle to defend constitutional rights, protect minorities and restore MGNREGA.
The Congress chief flagged SIR as a “serious threat” to democratic rights and alleged collusion between the BJP and the Election Commission, urging party workers to prevent deletion or transfer of voters’ names, particularly from marginalised communities. He accused the government of misusing agencies such as ED, IT and CBI, and said that the party would continue its legal battle in the National Herald case.
