The Bhubaneswar District Congress Committee on Saturday organised a hunger strike and symbolic protest opposing the Central Government’s decision to change the name and operational guidelines of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
The protest was held under the leadership of District Congress President Prakash Chandra Jena at the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Mahatma Gandhi Park near XIMB. Party leaders and workers gathered to express their concern over what they described as an attempt to undermine the legacy of the Father of the Nation.
Addressing the gathering, Congress leaders stated that renaming the Mahatma Gandhi NREGA to “Jiramji” was an affront to the deep respect and emotional connection that citizens across the country hold for Mahatma Gandhi. They emphasised that MGNREGA is not merely a welfare scheme but a guaranteed right to employment, designed to protect the dignity and livelihood of millions of poor and vulnerable workers.
The speakers further alleged that the revised framework dilutes workers’ rights and shifts a greater financial burden onto state governments, weakening the original intent of the legislation. They highlighted that MGNREGA has served as a lifeline for crores of marginalised families and rural labourers.
The Congress party announced that it has launched a nationwide, non-violent movement to safeguard the Employment Guarantee Act and preserve its foundational principles rooted in social justice and inclusivity.
Senior leaders present at the protest included former minister Suresh Kumar Routray, along with Kishore Jena, Chinmaya Sundar Das, Sunita Biswal, Prashant Champatti, Alok Mahanti, Tarun Mishra, Prashant Satapathy, Shriya Panda, Shriya Mahanti, Jayakrishna Subuddhi, Prachi Routray, Swastik Mahanti, Debashish Rout, Shubham Raj Abhiram, Debaraj Mishra, Suryakanta Jena, Prabhat Pratap Singh, Manoranjan Routray, Debashish Mishra, Khageswar Mallik, Mantu Mallik, Atmaram Pati, Taukeen Ahmed, Gopal Khandelwal, and hundreds of Congress workers.
