Prayagraj: The City Congress Committee office bearers observed a fast at the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in protest against the decision of the central government to discontinue MNREGA, a scheme meant for the welfare of Villagers of the Country. Under the leadership of City Congress Committee President Fuzail Hashmi, a large number of workers observed the fast at the statue of Mahatma Gandhi located at Balson Chauraha, following a nationwide call. On the occasion, Congress In-charge National Secretary and former Cabinet Minister of the Chhattisgarh Government Rajesh Tiwari, was present at the site, said that by shutting down the MNREGA scheme associated with the name of Mahatma Gandhi, the Modi-led central government has proved that the government and the BJP are worshippers of Godse. He said that the closure of MNREGA will bring rural development in India to a standstill.
He further stated that even during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the economy and livelihoods were under serious threat, MNREGA ensured that people did not die of hunger. By providing employment within villages, the scheme helped people overcome the crisis.
He said that under the so-called “Viksit Bharat G Ram G Yojana,” the responsibility has been shifted to the states, which are already burdened with heavy debt. There is no guarantee of work under this scheme; attendance depends on network connectivity, and in its absence, rural workers will not even received wages for a few days of work.
Tiwari asserted that the Congress would compel the government to restore MNREGA. Across the country, Congress workers have observed fasts in protest against the discontinuation of this scheme, thereby highlighting the crisis faced by rural India.
City President Fuzail Hashmi, Sudhakar Tiwari, Kishore Varshney, Harikesh Tripathi, Mukund Tiwari, Tasleemuddin, Anoop Tripathi, Parvez Siddiqui, Pradeep Dwivedi, Arshad Ali, Manas Shukla, Afroz Ahmad, Rajesh Mishra, Shahnawaz Qureshi, Haseeb Ahmad, Pratima Tripathi, Sartaj Mohammad, Kameshwar Sonkar, Md. Haseen, Nizamuddin, Faheem Khan, Ajay Srivastava, Md. Tabrez, Jagdish Tripathi, Rizwana Begum, Nasreen Bano, Manha Khan, Zahid Neta, Ravindra Tiwari, Suboor Khan, Ghazali Khan, Altamash, Abid Khan, Ejaz Khan, Shahid and many others were present.
