Jammu, December 21: A minor scuffle broke out between Congress activists and the police during a protest demonstration in Jammu on Sunday, as the Congress staged a strong agitation against what it termed the removal of Mahatma Gandhi’s name and the alleged move to replace or dilute the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.

The protest was led by AICC National Spokesperson Surinder Singh Rajput and JKPCC Working President Raman Bhalla, and was organised by the Pradesh Congress Committee in collaboration with the District Congress Committees of Jammu Urban and Jammu Rural. Several former ministers, legislators, senior party leaders, frontal organisation heads and former corporators participated in the demonstration, which witnessed raised slogans and a brief confrontation when police attempted to manage the gathering.

Addressing the protesters, Surinder Singh Rajput launched a sharp attack on the BJP led central government, alleging that it was undermining the ideology and philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi. He said that any attempt to replace the name associated with the rural employment guarantee programme could not erase Gandhi’s ideals from the country’s collective consciousness. He further argued that the proposed new framework would adversely impact the rural poor and labour class, weakening village economies and diluting the concept of gram swaraj envisioned by Mahatma Gandhi.

Raman Bhalla echoed similar sentiments, stating that the BJP was opposed to Gandhian philosophy and had therefore targeted what he described as one of the most successful, pro poor and pro labour schemes in the country. He cautioned that any centralised alternative would place additional financial burden on states already facing resource constraints, ultimately hurting rural livelihoods and employment.

During the protest, party workers raised slogans criticising the Centre and accusing it of disrespecting Mahatma Gandhi. Despite the brief scuffle, the demonstration largely remained peaceful, with police ensuring law and order while allowing the protest to proceed.

A large number of senior Congress leaders and workers from across the Jammu region were present at the protest, reflecting broad participation from the party’s organisational structure. The gathering also underscored the Congress’s intent to mobilise public opinion against the Centre’s policy decisions related to rural employment and social welfare.

Similar protest demonstrations were held simultaneously at district headquarters across the Jammu province. Congress workers assembled at Ramban, Kishtwar, Doda, Reasi, Udhampur, Kathua and Samba under the leadership of respective district presidents and senior party functionaries. At several locations, former ministers and prominent leaders joined the agitations, reiterating the party’s demand for safeguarding the rural employment guarantee framework and upholding the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi.

Party leaders said the protests would continue in the coming days as part of a broader campaign to oppose what they described as anti poor and anti labour policies, while urging the government to reconsider any move that could weaken employment security in rural India.