CONGRESS HOLDS ONE DAY FAST AGAINST TAMPERING WITH THE NAME AND FORM OF MNREGA

CONGRESS HOLDS ONE DAY FAST AGAINST TAMPERING WITH THE NAME AND FORM OF MNREGA

12-JAN-ENG 1

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

BUXAR----------------------------Following the instructions of the All India Congress Committee and the Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee, the Buxar District Congress Committee organized a one-day peaceful fast on Sunday to protest against the policies of the central government. The program was held on the road in front of the District Congress office. The main objective of the fast was to protest against the discussions about changing the name and original form of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA).

The fasting program was presided over by the District Congress Committee President, Dr. Manoj Pandey. Former MLAs Sanjay Kumar Tiwari alias Munna Tiwari, Vishwanath Ram, Dr. Pramod Ojha, and a large number of Congress workers and MNREGA laborers participated in the program.

Addressing the gathering at the conclusion of the fast, Dr. Manoj Pandey said that MNREGA is not a favor from any government, but a legal right of the poor and laborers of the country. The Congress party will not accept any kind of tampering with its name or form at any cost. He said that in 2005, the UPA government implemented MNREGA, guaranteeing employment to the rural poor, which effectively curbed unemployment, hunger, and migration. However, today, this historic scheme is being weakened by the policies of the central government.

Dr. Pandey alleged that the attempt to change the name of MNREGA is against the secular spirit of the Constitution. He questioned why laborers are not receiving their wages on time, why job opportunities are being reduced, and why the budget is being continuously cut. He clearly stated that changing the name will neither increase employment nor improve the condition of the poor.

Former MLAs Munna Tiwari and Vishwanath Ram said that political experimentation with Mahatma Gandhi's name is a threat to democracy. Dr. Pramod Ojha described MNREGA as the result of the visionary thinking of former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and declared any compromise with its original form unacceptable.

On this occasion, District President Dr. Manoj Pandey presented the following key demands to the government: maintaining the name and form of MNREGA as it is, paying full wages to the laborers on time, ensuring guaranteed work upon demand, and increasing the budget allocation. They announced that Chopal (community gathering) programs would be organized in every Gram Panchayat (village council) of the district from January 12 to January 29, 2026, and postcards would be sent to the President demanding that the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) be strengthened. They warned that if the tampering with MNREGA continues, the Congress party will launch a movement from the streets to the Parliament.

A large number of Congress members, including Kameshwar Pandey, Dr. Satyendra Ojha, Sanjay Kumar Pandey, Bhola Ojha, Nirmala Devi, Pankaj Upadhyay, and Abhay Mishra, were present at the fasting program.