On December 22, 2025, Telangana Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Minister Danasari Anasuya (Seethakka) called on people to protect the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), calling it a lifeline for crores of poor families in India. She said protest rallies will be held in villages across Telangana on December 27 or 28. These rallies will include newly elected sarpanches and ward members. Speaking at a press conference in Hyderabad with Congress Working Committee member Koppula Raju, the Minister condemned the proposed Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika (Gramin) Mission Bill (VB-G RAM G), which aims to replace MGNREGA. She said, "If the Employment Guarantee Act is repealed, there will be no work for labourers in villages, forcing them to migrate and work for corporate entities at low wages." The Minister accused the BJP-led Central government of trying to weaken the scheme and said it was "regrettable" to remove Mahatma Gandhi's name from the Employment Guarantee Act, calling it an attempt to erase the legacies of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. Koppula Raju highlighted the history of MGNREGA, stating it was notified in September 2005 and launched on February 2, 2006, in Anantapur. He praised the strict implementation during former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy's tenure, which ensured assured employment and wages for rural households. The Telangana Congress plans to pass resolutions in villages opposing the new bill and send them to the Central government.