Rahul Gandhi to join AP Congress protest against MGNREGA replacement on February 2

Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president Y. S. Sharmila on Tuesday said senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will visit Andhra Pradesh to take part in a State-wide protest against the proposed replacement of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act with the V. B. G. Ram G. Act.

Speaking to the media in Delhi after meeting Mr. Rahul Gandhi, Ms. Sharmila said he had responded positively to her request to visit the State and participate in the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee protest, scheduled to be launched on February 2 from Bandlapalli in Anantapur district. She noted that the village holds historical significance as the place where MGNREGA was first launched by a Congress government.

Pointing out that February 2 marks 20 years since the launch of the employment guarantee scheme, Ms. Sharmila accused the BJP-led Union government of weakening the programme. She said the Congress would organise a large-scale protest in Andhra Pradesh, demanding the revival of MGNREGA in the very State where the scheme originated.