Congress CWC Meets to Chart Strategy on Electoral Roll Revision, Repeal of MGNREGA, Bangladesh Situation

New Delhi, Dec 2025 : The Congress Working Committee (CWC), the highest decision-making body of the party, on Saturday held an important meeting to deliberate on a wide range of pressing political and national issues, including the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in multiple states, the repeal of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and its replacement with the Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act (VB–GRAMG Act), as well as the evolving political situation in neighbouring Bangladesh.

The meeting was attended by senior Congress leaders, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chief Sonia Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Shashi Tharoor, and other members of the CWC. The discussions focused on what the party described as growing threats to democratic processes, federalism, and the rights of workers and rural citizens.

Addressing the media after the meeting, Kharge said there was widespread public resentment over the Union government’s decision to repeal MGNREGA, a flagship employment scheme introduced during the UPA era. He warned that the government would have to face political consequences for dismantling a law that had provided livelihood security to millions of rural households.

Kharge strongly criticised the newly enacted VB–GRAMG Act, calling it a unilateral decision taken without adequate consultation with states or stakeholders. He alleged that the new law would shift additional financial burdens onto state governments while weakening the statutory rights of workers by turning employment guarantees into discretionary welfare measures.

Announcing a nationwide agitation, Kharge said the Congress would launch an “MGNREGA Bachao Andolan” from January 5, 2026. “In the CWC meeting, we have passed a resolution to democratically oppose every conspiracy aimed at erasing Mahatma Gandhi’s name from MGNREGA and converting workers’ rights into charity,” he said. He added that the party would take this movement to every village, raising slogans of “Jai Samvidhan” and “Jai Hind,” and pledging to defend the Constitution, democracy, and the rights of rural workers.

The VB–GRAMG Act, which replaces MGNREGA, was passed during the Winter Session of Parliament and has received the assent of President Droupadi Murmu.

The CWC also expressed strong opposition to the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls currently underway in nine states and three Union Territories. Kharge described the exercise as a “well-thought-out conspiracy” to curtail democratic rights. He said the party believes the revision process could lead to large-scale exclusion of genuine voters, particularly from marginalised communities.

Referring to Rahul Gandhi’s earlier statements, Kharge said evidence of alleged “vote theft” had been repeatedly placed before the public with facts and examples. The Congress leadership resolved to continue raising these concerns both on the streets and inside Parliament in the coming days, signalling an aggressive political campaign on issues it considers fundamental to democracy and social justice.

Team Maverick.