Tensions flared in Sawai Madhopur as Congress heavyweights kicked off a dramatic fast-unto-death protest to rescue MGNREGA from ‘imminent collapse.’ AICC Secretary and Legislative Assembly Deputy Leader spearheaded the action, captivating a massive crowd with fiery speeches on economic injustice.
‘Prime Minister’s double-engine government has single-handedly murdered rural jobs,’ thundered the AICC leader, sitting cross-legged before a sea of tricolors. Supporters from nearby villages poured in, blocking key roads and amplifying grievances through megaphones.
At the heart: chronic fund shortages leaving 40% of MGNREGA works stalled in Rajasthan alone. Workers decry paltry wages unchanged since 2005, now eroded by inflation, and a digital overhaul that’s locked millions out of entitlements.
Eyewitnesses described emotional scenes – elderly men fasting alongside youth, women holding placards reading ‘Modi Ji, Return Our Jobs.’ One participant, a daily wager, revealed surviving on loans after months without payments.
The party outlined five urgent reforms: triple the budget, enforce timely wages, simplify Aadhaar linkage, and halt privatization pushes. Refusing water despite scorching heat, leaders signaled all-out war.
Rajasthan Congress chief echoed support from Jaipur, hinting at replicating the model statewide. Analysts see this as a calculated revival of Congress’s pro-poor image, challenging BJP’s rural dominance head-on.
As night fell, the dharna pulsed with bhajans and slogans. Will Delhi listen, or will hunger strikes multiply? The battle for MGNREGA – and India’s villages – has truly begun.
