Heightened tensions grip Lucknow ahead of the UP Congress Committee’s planned assembly siege. The focal point: BJP’s alleged scheme to scrap MGNREGA by hiking state contributions, as articulated by MP Kishori Lal Sharma.
Authorities have ramped up surveillance, house-arresting leaders and blocking routes from districts. Undaunted, Sharma affirmed, ‘We’re primed for the showdown. The ‘Save MGNREGA Struggle’ is underway, drawing comrades to the capital.’
In pointed remarks, he debunked the ‘Viksit Bharat @ Ram Ji’ narrative as anti-worker propaganda. ‘The 60-40 split burdens states unfairly; many can’t foot 10%, let alone 40%,’ he charged. This, he claims, is a deliberate push to end the vital rural jobs program.
Broader woes like price hikes, joblessness, and deteriorating security form the protest’s backbone. Detentions of Ajay Lallu and others highlight the clampdown, yet Congress insists on peaceful, democratic dissent.
Sharma stressed the need for public enlightenment: without facts, awareness lags. As the day unfolds, this confrontation tests the limits of protest rights in Uttar Pradesh, potentially galvanizing opposition ahead of elections.