Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema accused the central government of pushing an anti-poor agenda through an overhaul of the MGNREGA scheme, citing ₹23,000 crore in unpaid dues. He stated that shifting financial burdens to states and altering the scheme's rights-based structure weakens employment guarantees and federalism. Cheema criticized the BJP for alleged misleading claims and the Congress for silence, while AAP vows to protest the changes.