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30 Oct 2025, 2:30 am

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Wednesday accused the Modi government of returning to the principles of Manusmriti by coming out with a draft Labour Force Policy, which claims that ‘Manusmriti’ embeds the moral basis of labour governance within India’s civilisational fabric.

Sharing the text of the new policy released earlier this month, Congress general secretary, communications, Jairam Ramesh wrote on X that the Modi government’s return to the Manusmriti principles is in keeping with the traditions of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), which had attacked the Constitution of India soon after it was adopted.

“The Modi government’s draft Shram Shakti Niti 2025 released earlier this month for public feedback explicitly claims that the Manusmriti embeds ‘the moral basis of labour governance within India’s civilisational fabric, centuries before the rise of modern labour law’,” Ramesh said in the post.

In a paragraph titled “Civilizational Ethos and Guiding Principles,” the draft policy says, “India’s understanding of labour (srama) extends far beyond its economic dimension. It embodies a sacred and moral duty that sustains social harmony, economic well-being, and collective prosperity. In the Indic worldview, work is not merely a means of livelihood but a contribution to the broader order of dharma (righteous duty). This perspective recognises every worker —whether an artisan, farmer, teacher, or industrial labourer —as an essential participant in the cycle of social creation.”

The Congress leader further said that the draft is aligned with the RSS’s most cherished traditions. “This return to the principles of the Manusmriti is in keeping with the RSS’s most cherished traditions. After all, it had attacked the Constitution of India soon after it was adopted on the grounds that it did not derive inspiration from the ideals and values of Manu as embodied in the Manusmriti,” Ramesh said.