As the Punjab government convened a special session of the Vidhan Sabha on Tuesday to oppose the replacement of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Act, workers under the rural job scheme staged protests across the state, while also questioning the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) move to collect signed letters addressed to the Prime Minister.“I am a worker whose daily living depends on MGNREGA wages. We are scared,” reads a letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, signed by hundreds of workers from villages across Punjab. The letters, collected constituency-wise, express concern over recent changes in MGNREGA rules, including fears that work would now begin only after official notifications for specific villages.The letter states that if their village names did not figure in such notices, they would be left without work. They also flagged practical issues such as mandatory online attendance, stating that many workers do not own smartphones. “We are not asking for any favour, only our right to demand work. Please do not make MGNREGA too difficult for poor labourers,” the letter states.Below the letter are columns mentioning the constituency, worker’s name, village, job card number and signature or thumb impression.‘Why wasn’t an alarm raised earlier?’On Tuesday, the letters reached the Vidhan Sabha, with MLA Manvinder Singh Giaspura carrying them on his head in two sealed bags while entering the Assembly premises.According to labour unions, these typed letters reached villages through ‘MGNREGA Mates’ or village-level officers who mark attendance and maintain job card records. Lachman Singh Sewewala, general secretary of the Punjab Khet Mazdoor Union, said many workers signed the letters believing they were supporting their own cause.“The letter is written in a very mild tone and is in favour of workers, so people signed it. They were told these letters would be presented in the Vidhan Sabha during the special session, so it is clear that the ruling party got these letters signed as the content is the same everywhere,” Sewewala said.Story continues below this adHowever, he alleged that the larger issue was not the letter itself but the compilation of workers’ data “in the name of a special Assembly session for vote politics”.Punjab Khet Mazdoor Union president Nirbhai Singh Dhudike questioned the state government’s response, saying it came too late. “Before the VB-G-RAM-G bill was passed in Parliament, the state was silent. Why wasn’t the alarm raised earlier?” he asked, also pointing to the draft Electricity Amendment Bill, where states were invited to give suggestions. “Will the state wake up only after that bill is passed as well?” he added.AAP spokesperson Neel Garg was unavailable for comment despite repeated attempts.The special Assembly session is aimed at passing a resolution against the VB-G-RAM-G Bill, which proposes to replace MGNREGA and includes a provision for 125 days of wage employment for rural workers.Story continues below this adTarsem Peter, president of the Pendu Khet Mazdoor Union, said while letters had indeed been signed by workers, the government’s intentions were questionable. “After the bill was passed in Parliament, the AAP government suddenly became active overnight. Where were they earlier?” he asked, alleging that the exercise was more about data collection than addressing workers’ grievances.“Workers are angry and worried about the changes, but the government is making more noise than doing actual work,” Peter said.To mark their protest, labour unions organised a Jago—a traditional ritual usually associated with weddings—in Jagraon on Monday. On Tuesday, parallel to the special Assembly session, protests were held in hundreds of villages across Punjab. “Here, Jago is meant to wake people up and unite them against the VB-G-RAM-G,” Peter said, adding that similar processions would continue across the state.Also Read | MGNREGA must be brought back in its original rights-based form‘How will Punjab benefit?’: AAP vs OppositionStory continues below this adAhead of the Assembly proceedings, AAP MLA from Ajnala and party spokesperson Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal told the media that the Centre’s requirement of a 40 per cent state share made the scheme unviable. “Punjab is already in debt. This is an indirect way of ending a scheme meant for labourers. That is why the special session has been called to pass a resolution against it…our party will lead the agitation for workers’ rights,” he said.BJP MLA from Pathankot and state working president Ashwani Sharma alleged that the AAP government had used official machinery to get workers’ signatures by spreading misinformation.BJP state president Sunil Jakhar on Tuesday questioned the utility of repeated special Assembly sessions. In a post on X, he said, “As part of the series of special Assembly sessions, another session is going to be added today. But what benefit will this bring to Punjab? It would have been better if the government had held a discussion on the deteriorating law and order situation in the state. Only when there is peace and stability in the state will people be able to work.”“Secondly, why is the government not ordering an inquiry into the corruption that has taken place in MNREGA just to protect its ministers and officials? Will Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann also clarify this in the Assembly? For the government of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who repeatedly talks about Punjab’s full treasury at every platform, this is also an opportunity to prove its genuine concern for the poor by providing 125 days of employment instead of just 100 days. If they truly stand for the welfare of the poor, they should also bring a resolution expressing gratitude to the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi,” he added.Story continues below this adThe Congress also waded into the controversy. Addressing a press conference in Ludhiana on Monday, Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring announced a mass movement from Gurdaspur on January 8 to “save MGNREGA”. Drawing parallels with the now-repealed farm laws, Warring termed the new scheme a “black law”.He accused the BJP of attempting to snatch the livelihood of lakhs of rural poor by scrapping MGNREGA, and criticised the AAP government for failing to provide even 100 days of work. Calling the special Assembly session an “eyewash”, Warring said the AAP had already betrayed rural workers by not implementing the existing scheme effectively.