Modi govt bulldozed MGNREGA, alleges Sonia

New Delhi: Congress Rajya Sabha member Sonia Gandhi, reacting to the VB-G RAM G Bill, criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing the Central government of attacking the interests of the poor by "running a bulldozer over MGNREGA".

Sonia Gandhi alleged that the Modi government, over the past 11 years, has "consistently tried to weaken MGNREGA by neglecting the interests of the rural unemployed, the poor and the marginalised, even though the scheme proved to be a lifeline for these sections during the Covid crisis".

"While the Congress played a major role in bringing MGNREGA into existence and implementing it, the scheme was never about a political party,” she said. “It was about national interest and public welfare. By weakening this law, the Modi government has attacked the interests of crores of farmers, workers and landless rural poor," the former Congress chief claimed.

The Rajya Sabha MP further said: “The Congress had a major contribution in bringing and implementing MGNREGA. It was a scheme connected to the interest of the country and the people. The Modi government has attacked the interests of the poor through this.”