‘Propaganda, not policy performance’: Arunachal Congress attacks BJP on rural jobs

The Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee has accused the BJP-led government of diluting the legal right to rural employment, rejecting claims that the VB-G-RAM-G Bill is a reformist replacement for MGNREGA.

APCC president Bosiram Siram said the proposed law converts a statutory, demand-driven guarantee into a government-controlled scheme dependent on budgets and discretion. He was responding to recent statements by Chief Minister Pema Khandu, Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein, BJP MP Tapir Gao and state BJP president Kaling Moyong, who have projected the Bill as a “transformative rural employment reform”.

“No amount of slogans like ‘Viksit Bharat’ can hide the fact that the BJP has weakened the legal guarantee of work,” Siram said, adding that rural employment “cannot depend on the mood, budget priorities or political convenience of the ruling party”.

Questioning the promise to increase employment from 100 to 125 days, Siram said many districts fail to provide even the existing entitlement. “On paper, they promise 125 days; on the ground, people struggle to get even 30–40 days of work, with wages delayed for months. First clear pending dues, then talk of guarantees,” he said.

The APCC also raised concerns over the proposed 90:10 funding pattern, arguing it would push the financial burden onto hill and tribal states with limited revenue capacity. Siram warned that centralised control over funds could force states to cut employment, affecting tribal workers the most.

He further alleged that the Bill centralises decision-making and weakens Panchayati Raj Institutions. “Local planning cannot survive when approvals, funds and priorities are dictated from Delhi,” he said, disputing BJP claims of empowering gram panchayats.

Siram said the emphasis on infrastructure and durable assets risks excluding landless labourers, women and elderly workers who rely on wage employment. “MGNREGA was about people first, not contracts first,” he said, adding that skill development and enterprise promotion cannot replace an unconditional job guarantee in remote border areas.

“The BJP leadership speaks of transparency and timely delivery, but the reality is delayed wages, shrinking allocations, job card suppression and exclusion errors. Their press conference is propaganda, not policy performance,” he said.

Later in the day, the APCC held an executive meeting at Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan to plan protests in line with the All India Congress Committee’s call against the VB-G-RAM-G Act. The party announced a statewide agitation titled “MGNREGA Bachao Sangram” from January 10 to February 25, including district-level protests, panchayat outreach programmes and state-level demonstrations, stating it would oppose what it called the dilution of livelihood security for rural Arunachal.