BJP axed right to work under MGNREGA but no trace of VB-G RAM G implementation: Kharge

New Delhi: The Congress on Monday accused the government of not implementing the VB-G RAM G Act after putting a "lock" on MGNREGA and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi keeps reminding people of the COVID period but has forgotten how the UPA-era law provided relief to millions during the pandemic.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that the BJP has axed the right to work for millions of labourers by abolishing MGNREGA but there was no trace of the "much-hyped" VB-G RAM G scheme, which was notified on December 21 last year.

Kharge's remarks on X came over a media report claiming that from Bihar to Rajasthan, rural workers who were employed under MGNREGA are saying that work has been halted while some district officials have claimed that they have been directed not to start new work as the scheme has been discontinued, though there are no such formal orders.

"For the past 87 days, 12,000 labourers in Muzaffarpur, Bihar, have been protesting due to not getting work under MGNREGA. Similarly, reports are coming in from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and several other states in the country about work stoppages for MGNREGA labourers.

"The BJP has axed the 'right to work' for millions of labourers by abolishing MGNREGA, and there's no trace of the scheme they hyped up so much," Kharge said in his post in Hindi.

Kharge alleged that the BJP left no stone unturned in weakening MGNREGA.

"A recent CAG report from Maharashtra states that less than 53 per cent of the approved works under MGNREGA in the state have been completed over the past 5 years. There are 2.5 lakh such works that couldn't even get started in 5 years," he said.

Kharge claimed there is no work for migrant workers who have been forced to return to their villages due to "a shortage of LPG and the dire state of industries".

"Prime Minister ji keeps reminding us of the COVID era, but has forgotten how MGNREGA provided relief to millions of labourers during the pandemic," Kharge said.

Tagging the same media report, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "This is not unexpected at all. When VB GRAM G was being bulldozed through the fact that this would happen had been pointed out. The formula of allocation to states is still unknown as are other details."