A day after Parliament passed the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Saturday (December 20) launched a sharp attack on the government, accusing it of "running a bulldozer over MGNREGA".
She said the move went far beyond merely removing Mahatma Gandhi's name, alleging that the government had arbitrarily altered the very form and structure of the employment guarantee scheme. Sonia Gandhi criticised the Centre for pushing through the changes without any deliberation, without consulting stakeholders, and without taking the opposition into confidence.
Govt bulldozed MGNREGA: Sonia Gandhi
In a video statement on VB-G RAM G Bill replacing MGNREGA, Sonia Gandhi said, "20 years ago, Dr. Manmohan Singh ji was the Prime Minister, and at that time, MGNREGA was passed in Parliament with consensus. It gave the poor a legal right to employment and strengthened the gram panchayats through it. Through MGNREGA, a concrete step was taken towards Mahatma Gandhi's dreams.
She further said that the Modi government had attacked the interests of crores of farmers, labourers, and landless across the country. She alleged that over the past 11 years, the Centre had ignored the interests of the rural poor.
She said that due to MGNREGA, migration in search of work came to a halt, a legal right to employment was provided, and gram panchayats were empowered.
"Through MGNREGA, a concrete step was taken towards realising the dream of an India based on Mahatma Gandhi's vision of Gram Swaraj," she said.
"But it is a matter of great regret that just recently, the government ran a bulldozer over MGNREGA. Not only was Mahatma Gandhi's name removed, but the form and structure of MGNREGA was changed arbitrarily — without any deliberation, without consulting anyone, without taking the opposition into confidence," the Congress leader alleged.
Committed to fight against this black law: Sonia Gandhi
Asserting strong opposition to the move, she said the "black law" aimed at repealing the scheme would be defied by lakhs of party workers across the country.
"The Congress had a major role in bringing and implementing MGNREGA, but it was never a party-specific matter. It was a scheme connected to the national interest and the people's interest. By weakening this law, the Modi government has attacked the interests of crores of farmers, laborers, and landless poor in the rural sector across the country.
We are all ready to counter this attack. Twenty years ago, I too fought to secure the right to employment for our poor brothers and sisters; today, I remain committed to fighting against this black law. All Congress leaders like me and lakhs of workers stand with you," she added.
VB-G RAM G bill passed in Parliament
The Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill was passed on Friday by the Rajya Sabha with a voice vote, hours after the Lok Sabha cleared it on Thursday, amid strong protests by the opposition over the removal of Mahatma Gandhi's name from the existing rural employment guarantee scheme, MGNREGA, and accusing the government of putting the financial burden on states.
The opposition members staged a walkout from the Rajya Sabha before the bill seeking to replace MGNREGA was passed. They pressed that the bill should be sent to a Select Committee. They demanded that the Bill be referred to a Select Committee.
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the Bill would play an important role in the welfare of the poor. He accused the Congress of showing disrespect to the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi.
The Bill guarantees 125 days of wage employment per rural household, up from the existing 100 days, for adult members willing to undertake unskilled manual work.
As per Section 22 of the Bill, the fund-sharing pattern between the Centre and the states will be 60:40. For the Northeastern states, Himalayan states, and Union Territories, including Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, the ratio will be 90:10.Section 6 of the Bill allows state governments to notify in advance a period aggregating up to 60 days in a financial year, covering peak agricultural seasons such as sowing and harvesting.
Also Read: 'Modi government demolished twenty years of MGNREGA in one day': Rahul Gandhi on G RAM G Bill
