Telangana Congress Protests MGNREGA Replacement, Criticizes BJP Over Gandhi Legacy

Telangana Congress president B. Mahesh Kumar Goud led a protest at Mahatma Gandhi’s statue in Secunderabad on Saturday against the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) – VB-G RAM G Bill, which replaces the 20-year-old MGNREGA and guarantees 125 days of rural wage employment per year.

Addressing the gathering, Goud said, “The BJP will pay a price in the future for its attempts to erase the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi.” He accused the ruling NDA government of attempting to rewrite the country’s history and alter the Constitution, adding, “Today, attempts are being made to make people forget Mahatma Gandhi, to rewrite the country's history and to completely change the Constitution. Modi ji, this is a secular country. Your attempts would not succeed.”

Goud also criticized the government for not reconsidering the replacement of MGNREGA, stating that it reflected the BJP’s “dislike for Gandhiji.” He expressed confidence that Congress, under Rahul Gandhi’s leadership, would restore Gandhi’s prominence in public memory.

Citing recent electoral outcomes in Telangana, he said, “The BJP lost its security deposit in the recent bypoll to Jubilee Hills assembly constituency and was not able to cross double digits in the Gram Panchayat elections. The saffron party would be taught a lesson in the future as well in the state.”

Several Congress leaders, ministers, and party workers participated in the protest. The VB-G RAM G Bill, passed by Parliament on Thursday, aims to provide structured rural employment while replacing the MGNREGA framework.