The Opposition BJP, however, criticised the Congress government’s protest, terming it “misleading, factually incorrect and aimed at confusing the public”.

Addressing a gathering at the Ridge, Sukhu said conceptualised and implemented by the Congress-led UPA government under the leadership of former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh and senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, MGNREGA had played a crucial role in providing employment and ensuring inclusive growth in rural India.

“Under the earlier framework, works under MGNREGA were planned and executed based on resolutions passed by gram panchayats and gram sabhas, ensuring local participation and reflecting grassroots priorities. However, under the new mechanism, panchayats have been sidelined, as planning has been centralised and funds will now be allocated directly by the Centre, with projects notified for selected areas,” Sukhu said.

Underscoring that Himachal Pradesh will be among the worst-affected states, the chief minister said, “Earlier, the central government bore the entire wage liability under MGNREGA, while the state government provided an additional incentive of Rs 80 per day to workers. Under the revised arrangement, the Centre will bear 90 per cent of the wage component, leaving the state to shoulder the remaining burden. Thus, MGNREGA must continue in its original spirit, driven by panchayat demands and local development needs.”

Sukhu said the salaries of officers and employees posted in Zila Parishads under MGNREGA had also been discontinued, which would adversely affect the effective implementation of the scheme.

Accusing the Congress of spreading “white lies” by claiming that MNREGA was being scrapped, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Harsh Mahajan said the Centre instead introduced “a stronger and more comprehensive framework” under which rural families would be entitled to 125 days of guaranteed employment, up from 100 days earlier.

“Over Rs 1.51 lakh crore has been earmarked for the scheme, with more than Rs 95,000 crore to be contributed by the Centre. The new system will directly benefit panchayats and accelerate development works. Panchayat grading will ensure more resources for backward areas, helping reduce regional imbalance,” Mahajan said.

Calling the protest a “political gimmick” to hide the government’s administrative and financial failures, former BJP state president and MLA Satpal Singh Satti said Congress was deliberately distorting facts, despite the Centre’s expanding employment guarantees and allocations.

“While the UPA government spent about Rs 2.13 lakh crore on MNREGA between 2006-07 and 2013-14, the NDA had spent over Rs 8.53 lakh crore up to 2024-25, generating substantially higher employment. If the Congress is genuinely concerned about rural welfare, it will focus on timely wage payments and work availability instead of staging protests,” Satti said.

Deputy CM Mukesh Agnihotri, HPCC 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 CM Sunil Sharma, principal advisor (Media) Naresh Chauhan, Shimla Mayor Surinder Chauhan, Deputy Mayor Uma Kaushal, councillors and senior Congress leaders participated in the protest.

Responding to a query, Sukhu said the state government was strongly opposed to the Centre’s decision to reduce import duty on apples, warning that it would severely impact apple growers in Himachal Pradesh. He said the matter would be taken up forcefully with the Centre to safeguard the interests of orchardists.