India, Jan. 20 -- RAE BARELI Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday accused the Modi government of seeking to centralise power and weaken welfare safeguards for the poor, alleging that the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) had been undermined to siphon off money to corporates.

Addressing his first 'MGNREGA Chaupal' in Umran village of Rae Bareli's Unchahar assembly segment, Gandhi said: "By changing the name (of MGNREGA), they have insulted Gandhiji. This scheme protected you, even more during the Covid pandemic when all other schemes had failed. I guarantee that the BJP has planned to scrap it, but the Congress won't allow this."

"PM Modi had made a mockery of MGNREG...