Congress State President Y.S. Sharmila will visit Nellore district on Thursday to campaign for the protection of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). District Congress Committee (DCC) President Kiran Kumar Reddy announced the tour and said the visit aims to support rural workers and defend the employment scheme.
During her tour, Sharmila will interact directly with local labourers and hear their concerns about the implementation of MGNREGA. Party leaders said she plans to review the ground reality and understand the challenges workers face in securing guaranteed employment under the scheme.
Kiran Kumar Reddy stated that the Congress party is demanding the continuation of the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme without dilution. He alleged that the BJP-led central government has altered the structure and spirit of the 20-year-old programme. According to him, these changes have weakened the scheme, which was originally designed to provide livelihood security to rural families.
He further emphasised that MGNREGA has played a crucial role in supporting poor and marginalised communities over the past two decades. Therefore, the party believes any move that affects its core objectives will directly impact rural households. For this reason, Congress leaders have decided to intensify their campaign in the coming days.
Moreover, Kiran Kumar Reddy called upon democrats, rural citizens, intellectuals, women, and youth to participate in the ongoing struggle led by the Congress party. He said collective action is necessary to safeguard the rights of rural workers and ensure that employment opportunities remain accessible.
The party leadership indicated that Sharmila’s Nellore visit marks the beginning of a broader movement across the state. Congress leaders plan to mobilise public support and raise awareness about what they describe as attempts to weaken the employment guarantee framework.
