New Delhi: Leading from the front for the restoration of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), the Congress resolved to fight to the finish until the scheme is restored in its original form, in letter-and-spirit. The Party held a national convention of the MGNREGA workers at Jawahar Bhawan on January 22, 2026, which was organised by the ‘Rachnatmak Congress’ headed by Shri Sandeep Dikshit. Around 300–400 MGNREGA workers and activists from 20–25 states took part in the convention.

Congress President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge and the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Shri Rahul Gandhi assured the MGNREGA workers that the Party will fight for their rights and ensure that the rights-based scheme is restored in letter-and-spirit.

Earlier, spelling out the agenda, Chairman of the Rachnatmak Congress, Shri Sandeep Dikshit, assured the MGNREGA workers that the Congress Party will provide them full support. “You will find the Congress Party standing with you everywhere, wherever you need it,” he told them.

Shri Dikshit said that the programme also provide a platform for workers to articulate the impact of the changes brought by the new law and to jointly evolve future strategies of resistance.

The convention began with a resonant song of justice. As a symbolic gesture, workers brought soil from their respective MGNREGA worksites, which was gathered together to convey a message of unity and collective struggle. Those present on the occasion included Congress General Secretary (Organisation) Shri KC Venugopal, General Secretary (communication) Shri Jairam Ramesh, Shri Charanjit Singh Channi, Shri Udit Raj and many others. Among those who shared their perspectives on the implications of the new Act were Shri Sashikant Senthil, Shri Saptagiri Ulaka and Shri K. Raju. The VB-G RAM G Act was passed in the Winter Session of the Parliament in 2025 in place of Mahatma Gandhi National Employment Guarantee Act.