On January 11, 2026, the Congress party accused the Uttar Pradesh Yogi-Modi government of ordering a brutal lathi-charge on NSUI protesters in Varanasi. The protest was part of the nationwide 'MGNREGA Bachao Sangram'. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh shared a video showing police pushing and using force against the marchers. "It was a completely peaceful and democratic demonstration conducted within the framework of constitutional rights," Ramesh said. He blamed the Yogi-Modi government for fearing questions and targeting protesters. The NSUI, Congress's student wing, was led by its national president Varun Chaudhary in Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's parliamentary constituency. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi also condemned the police action. She said, "The brutal use of force and arrests targeting NSUI students peacefully protesting is highly condemnable." Gandhi added that the Modi government is "snatching away the legal right to employment from millions of workers," and those who protest face "brute force." The Congress launched the 45-day MGNREGA Bachao Sangram campaign on January 10 to oppose the repeal of the UPA-era rural employment law. The party demands the withdrawal of the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Act and restoration of MGNREGA as a rights-based law. The campaign includes press conferences, fasts, chaupals, peaceful sit-ins, Vidhan Sabha gheraos, and rallies across states. The VB-G RAM G Act replaced MGNREGA after being passed amid protests in Parliament in December 2025 and received the President’s assent on December 21. The new law guarantees 125 days of wage employment per rural household annually.