Priyanka Gandhi Slams Centre Over Detention of NSUI Activists Protesting MGNREGA Scrapping

New Delhi, Jan 2026 : Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday strongly criticised the Union government over the detention of National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) activists in Varanasi, who were protesting against the alleged scrapping of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). Terming the police action “cowardly,” Priyanka accused the Centre of using force to silence democratic dissent.

Her reaction came after video footage of the incident went viral on social media, showing NSUI members staging a peaceful protest near the statues of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar in Varanasi. The demonstrators were opposing the Union government’s move to replace MGNREGA with a new framework titled the Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, commonly referred to as the VB-G RAM G scheme.

In the video, police personnel are seen intervening to disperse the protesters and detaining several student activists as slogans were raised against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP-led Union government. The visuals triggered sharp reactions from Congress leaders, who alleged that peaceful protestors were being targeted for raising legitimate concerns.

Responding to the incident, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the Centre was “stripping millions of labourers of their legal right to employment” by dismantling MGNREGA, a landmark rural employment scheme that has been in place since 2005. She asserted that anyone who opposed this move was being met with repression. “This is nothing but an attempt to crush the voice of those who stand up for the rights of the poor,” she said in a strongly worded statement.

Priyanka further declared that the Congress party would stand firmly with rural workers and students opposing what it sees as an unjust policy shift. “Every worker of the Congress Party stands firmly against this injustice, oppression and repression,” she said, adding that the party would continue its fight on the streets and in Parliament to protect employment guarantees for rural India.

The NSUI protest was part of a broader nationwide campaign launched by the Congress under the banner “MGNREGA Bachao Sangram.” Through this campaign, the party aims to mobilise public opinion against the proposed replacement of MGNREGA and highlight what it calls the government’s neglect of the rural poor and unemployed.

Senior Congress leaders, including Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee president Ajay Rai, have announced that similar protests and rallies will be organised across the state in the coming days. The party has also indicated that Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, is expected to participate in a major rally in Lucknow to intensify the campaign.

The Congress has consistently accused the Union government of weakening welfare schemes that provide livelihood security to millions of rural households. According to the party, MGNREGA is not merely a welfare programme but a legal right that ensures dignity and income support to the rural poor.

Ahead of the protest, security was tightened outside Prime Minister Modi’s outreach office in Varanasi, reflecting the political sensitivity surrounding the issue. The Centre, meanwhile, maintains that the VB-G RAM G scheme will modernise rural employment guarantees, a claim that the Opposition has dismissed as an attempt to dilute statutory rights and reduce accountability.

The incident has further sharpened the political battle over rural employment and welfare, with the Congress positioning itself as the principal defender of MGNREGA and accusing the BJP-led government of betraying the poorest sections of society.
Team Maverick.