The Haryana Congress has expressed strong resentment to the changes made by the BJP government in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). The party has opened a front against the government at both the national and state levels on this issue.
In this context, under the leadership of Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee President Rao Narender Singh, the party will stage a massive and determined gherao of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha on February 25, 2026.
Providing details of the plan, Rao Narender Singh said the gherao is aimed at opposing what he described as a conspiracy by the central government led by Narendra Modi and the state BJP government to weaken and dismantle MGNREGA. He termed the protest a decisive phase of the “Save MGNREGA Struggle.”
He informed that the protest will be attended by State In-charge B.K. Hariprasad, Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda, MP Kumari Selja, Randeep Singh Surjewala, Deepender Singh Hooda, Co-Incharges Jitendra Baghel and Prafull Gudadhe, along with all MPs, MLAs, former MLAs, district presidents, and thousands of party workers.
He asserted that this is not merely a protest but the beginning of a decisive battle against what he termed the anti-people policies of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Launching a sharp attack on the BJP government, he alleged that rural workers are being deceived in the name of MGNREGA. He claimed that workers are facing hunger due to lack of employment, delays of several months in wage payments, and alleged indifference from the state government, pushing lakhs of poor families into distress.
He further alleged that the Centre’s actions are aimed at weakening MGNREGA, which he described as evidence of exploitation of the poor, labourers, and farmers. According to him, the BJP’s policies reflect an anti-village, anti-poor, and anti-labour mindset, and he accused the party of attempting to weaken rural India for the benefit of the wealthy.
The State Congress President warned that the party will continue its struggle for the rights of distressed workers, struggling farmers, and affected families in Haryana until justice is ensured. He vowed to hold the BJP government accountable for its policies.
Rao Narender Singh clarified that the February 25 Vidhan Sabha gherao will be peaceful, constitutional, and democratic. He said thousands of Congress workers, MGNREGA-affected labourers, and their families from across the state will participate. He described the protest as a historic opportunity to expose what he called the authoritarian functioning of the BJP government.
He added that through the “Save MGNREGA Struggle,” the Haryana Congress remains committed to protecting the interests of rural India.