In a highly charged and stormy session of the Lok Sabha on Thursday, Parliament passed the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025. The passage of the bill sparked intense protests from opposition members, who accused the government of insulting the Father of the Nation by removing Mahatma Gandhi's name from the rural employment guarantee scheme and diluting the core provisions of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan strongly defended the legislation, claiming that Mahatma Gandhi's name was originally added to the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) primarily with an eye on the 2009 general elections.
"Initially it was NREGA and Mahatma Gandhi's name was not included in the bill. Later, when the 2009 general elections came, Bapu came to mind of Congress to get votes. I would want to say that MGNREGA was implemented properly and strongly by Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Chouhan said while addressing the Lok Sabha.
In his reply following an eight-hour-long debate on the VB-G RAM G Bill, Chouhan emphasized that the Modi government was committed to upholding Mahatma Gandhi's ideals through a range of flagship initiatives.
"The Congress killed ideals of Bapu, NDA ensured Bapu lives through pucca houses built under the PM Awas Yojana, Ujjwala yojana, Swachh Bharat Mission, Ayushman Bharat," Chouhan said.The senior BJP leader also responded directly to criticism from Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi regarding the government's alleged tendency to rename schemes arbitrarily. He pointed out several existing welfare programs that continue to bear the names of Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi.
As the bill moved toward passage, opposition lawmakers rushed into the well of the House, raising slogans against the government for removing Mahatma Gandhi's name from the rural employment scheme. In a dramatic display of protest, they tore copies of the bill and hurled the pieces toward the Speaker's chair.
Following the bill's passage by voice vote amid the chaos, Speaker Om Birla adjourned the House proceedings for the day.
Earlier that day, opposition MPs had organised a protest march within the Parliament complex, demanding the complete withdrawal of the bill. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge described the legislation as an insult to Mahatma Gandhi and a severe blow to the fundamental right to work, which has been instrumental in driving socio-economic transformation across rural India. Senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi participated in the demonstrations alongside other MPs at Makar Dwar.
The VB-G RAM G Bill establishes a statutory guarantee of 125 days of wage employment per year to every rural household whose adult members volunteer for unskilled manual work. Additionally, states are mandated to align their existing schemes with the provisions of the new law within six months of the Act coming into force.
Also Read: VB-G-RAM G bill introduced in LS, oppn objects, seeks 'scrutiny'
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