Ranchi: Under the “Save MNREGA” campaign, a one-day fast was observed at all district headquarters in Jharkhand on Sunday to protest the removal of Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the scheme and the dilution of employment guarantees. In Ranchi, the protest took place in front of Gandhi’s statue at Bapu Vatika.
Addressing the gathering, Jharkhand Congress state president Keshav Mahato Kamlesh criticized the new law, saying it weakens the rural economy and undermines the constitutional right to employment. He warned that the changes would disproportionately affect Dalits, Adivasis, and poor women. According to him, under the new law, employment will depend on government discretion, not rights, with funding and project allocation centralized in the hands of the Centre, reducing panchayats to administrative clerks. He added that wage adjustments linked to inflation under MNREGA have been removed and that during peak agricultural seasons, the legally guaranteed 60 days of work may no longer be provided.
“While you can remove Gandhi’s name from paper, his ideals live in the hearts of 1.4 billion Indians,” Mahato said, urging that the Congress would continue its fight to protect workers’ rights.
Health Minister Irfan Ansari also supported the protest, vowing to fight to uphold Gandhi’s vision and prevent his ideals from being undermined.
The fast was attended by senior Congress leaders including executive president Bandhu Tirkey,
