Shimla: Saptrishi Soni
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday led a strong political and moral protest against the Central Government’s decision to discontinue the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA), terming the move “anti-rural, anti-poor and anti-federal.” Accompanied by his Cabinet colleagues and senior Congress leaders, the Chief Minister staged a dharna near the statue of Mahatma Gandhi at the historic Ridge in Shimla, symbolically invoking Gandhian values of justice, dignity of labour and grassroots empowerment.
Addressing the gathering, CM Sukhu said the decision strikes at the very foundation of rural livelihood security and threatens the survival of millions of families who depend on MNREGA for assured employment. He described the scheme as one of independent India’s most transformative social security initiatives, conceptualized and implemented by the Congress-led UPA government under the leadership of former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi.
The Chief Minister emphasized that MNREGA was never merely a welfare scheme, but a rights-based programme rooted in democratic decentralization. Under its original framework, works were identified, planned and executed through Gram Sabhas and Gram Panchayats, ensuring that development reflected local needs and priorities. He expressed serious concern that the revised mechanism dismantles this participatory structure by centralizing planning powers and allocating funds directly from the Centre for pre-selected projects and regions.
“This change sidelines Panchayati Raj institutions and weakens the spirit of grassroots democracy,” Sukhu said, adding that such centralization defeats the very purpose of MNREGA, which was designed to empower villages, not bypass them.
The Chief Minister announced that the Congress Party would intensify its resistance by launching protests at district and block levels across Himachal Pradesh. He said the statewide agitation would aim to expose what he called the “anti-people character” of the decision and mobilize public opinion in defence of rural workers.
Highlighting the specific impact on Himachal Pradesh, Sukhu warned that the state would be among the worst affected. Earlier, the Central Government bore the full wage liability under MNREGA, while the state government provided an additional incentive of Rs. 80 per day to workers from its own resources. Under the new arrangement, the Centre will now contribute only 90 percent of the wages, shifting the remaining financial burden onto the states. Sukhu said this change would place immense strain on state finances and could ultimately reduce employment opportunities for rural workers.
He further expressed concern over the discontinuation of salaries for officers and employees posted in Zila Parishads under MNREGA, stating that this would seriously hamper monitoring, implementation and transparency of the scheme on the ground.
Responding to queries on other policy decisions, the Chief Minister also voiced strong opposition to the Central Government’s move to reduce import duty on apples. He cautioned that the decision could severely hurt apple growers in Himachal Pradesh by exposing them to unfair competition from imported produce. Sukhu assured orchardists that the state government would take up the matter forcefully with the Centre to safeguard the interests of local farmers.
The protest saw the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee President Vinay Kumar, Industries Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan, Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi, Panchayati Raj Minister Anirudh Singh, Technical Education Minister Rajesh Dharmani, AYUSH Minister Yadvinder Goma, Congress Co-incharge Chetan Chauhan, MLAs Chander Shekhar and Anuradha Rana, Political Advisor to the Chief Minister Sunil Sharma, Principal Advisor (Media) Naresh Chauhan, Shimla Mayor Surinder Chauhan, Deputy Mayor Uma Kaushal, along with councillors, chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of various boards and corporations, and senior Congress leaders.
By choosing Mahatma Gandhi’s statue as the site of protest, the Chief Minister underscored that the issue transcends politics and touches the core values of social justice, rural dignity and participatory governance. The message from Shimla was unambiguous: any dilution or dismantling of MNREGA will be met with sustained political resistance in Himachal Pradesh.
