Proposed Changes to Rural Jobs Scheme Are an Assault on the Constitution, Says KC Venugopal

Addressing the issue in the capital, Venugopal said the plan to alter the scheme’s structure and remove Mahatma Gandhi’s name amounts to a direct challenge to the spirit of the Constitution. He described MGNREGA not merely as a welfare initiative, but as a legally guaranteed right that has provided employment security to millions of rural households. According to him, the proposed amendments risk reducing that guarantee to a symbolic provision with little real-world effect.

Venugopal alleged that the government intends to shift the programme away from its demand-driven framework and instead operate it within fixed budgetary limits. Such a change, he argued, would dismantle the principle of universal access to work and erode the core idea that employment must be provided whenever it is sought. He cautioned that this restructuring could effectively deny work to those who need it most during periods of distress.

The Congress leader also dismissed the government’s promise of expanding employment under the scheme to 125 days as hollow. He claimed that the financial responsibility for fulfilling this commitment has been passed on to state governments, leaving them to bear the burden without adequate central support. As a result, he said, there is little chance that the assurance will be implemented on the ground.

Taking aim at the Union Agriculture Minister, Venugopal said the proposed legislation would be remembered for stripping the scheme of Mahatma Gandhi’s name, despite the programme being rooted in Gandhian principles of dignity of labour and rural self-reliance. He described the move as a symbolic break from the values that inspired the original legislation.

Venugopal’s remarks come amid growing political debate over the future of MGNREGA, a programme long seen as a cornerstone of rural employment policy. As discussions over the proposed changes continue, the controversy has sharpened questions about the government’s approach to welfare guarantees and the constitutional obligations tied to them.