The Punjab Congress has launched a scathing attack on the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, vowing to expose its alleged failures in implementing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). State Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring declared on Thursday that his party will take this fight to every home and corner of Punjab, ensuring the AAP cannot conceal its own shortcomings behind the narrative of the BJP's "dictatorship" at the Centre.
Congress Challenges AAP to Reveal MGNREGA Report Card
While detailing a mass mobilisation programme, Warring directly challenged the Bhagwant Mann-led state government. He demanded that the AAP come out with complete details of the workdays it provided under the rural job guarantee scheme during the last four years of its tenure. The Congress leader asserted that the AAP government failed miserably, not even meeting 50% of its target for providing jobs under MGNREGA.
Warring dismissed any notion that the AAP could shield itself by blaming the BJP-led central government's policies. "If the AAP started believing that it can hide behind the BJP's dictatorship of scrapping the MGNREGA, it is badly mistaken," he stated emphatically. He added a powerful warning, "We will expose the AAP as much as we will expose the BJP." According to him, the intentions of both parties are identical: to deny employment opportunities to rural landless labourers.
Exposing 'Two Sides of the Same Coin'
The Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president announced a two-pronged strategy to hold the government accountable. Firstly, the Congress will demand the AAP's report card on MGNREGA during a special session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha. Secondly, they plan to raise the issue aggressively on the streets and roads across the state, connecting with the public directly.
Warring accused the AAP of attempting to project itself as a superior alternative to the BJP. However, he pledged to dismantle this image. "The AAP appears to be preparing to project itself as a party better than the BJP, but we will expose it on the floor of the house and outside and prove that they are two sides of the same coin," he said. He concluded by noting that the AAP government's record on MGNREGA, similar to its performance on other welfare schemes, has been abysmally dismal and disappointing for the people of Punjab.
The Road Ahead for Rural Employment
This confrontation sets the stage for a significant political battle in Punjab, with the Congress aiming to capitalise on rural discontent. The success of MGNREGA is a critical issue for the state's agricultural and landless workforce. By launching a statewide campaign, the Congress seeks to put the ruling party on the defensive and revive its own political fortunes by championing the cause of rural employment guarantee, a scheme once championed by the previous UPA government at the Centre.
