New Delhi, Jan 11 (IANS) Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, on Sunday, hit out at the Union government over the detention of National Students' Union of India (NSUI) activists in Varanasi, who were protesting against the scrapping of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

In a sharply worded statement, she described the police action as "cowardly" and said the Union government was using brute force against those who dared to raise their voices.

The protests, captured in a widely circulated video footage, showed NSUI members staging a peaceful demonstration near the Mahatma Gandhi and Bhimrao Ambedkar statues in Varanasi.

The students were opposing the Union government's decision to replace MGNREGA with the new Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, known as VB-G RAM G scheme.

The video footage revealed police personnel moving in to disperse the crowd, detaining several NSUI activists as they raised slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling BJP-led Union government.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, responding to the video, said the Union government was "stripping millions of labourers of their legal right to employment" and that those who resisted were being met with violence.

"Every worker of the Congress Party stands firmly against this injustice, oppression and repression," she declared, adding that the party would continue to fight for the rights of rural workers across the country.

The NSUI protest formed part of a broader campaign by the Congress under the banner "MGNREGA Bachao Sangram".

Congress leaders, including the Uttar Pradesh Congress Chief Ajay Rai, have announced to stage more rallies across the state, with Lok Sabha's Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi expected to attend a major rally in Lucknow in the coming days.

The Congress has accused the Union government of dismantling a welfare scheme that has provided livelihood security to millions of rural households since its inception in 2005.

Security was tightened outside Prime Minister Modi's outreach office in Varanasi ahead of the demonstration, underscoring the sensitivity of the issue.

The VB-G RAM G scheme, which the Union government claims will modernise rural employment guarantees, has been criticised by the Opposition as a move to dilute statutory rights and reduce accountability.

The incident has added fuel to the political debate over rural employment and welfare, with the Congress positioning itself as the defender of MGNREGA and accusing the Union government of betraying the poorest sections of society.

--IANS

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