Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on Saturday criticised the VB–G Ram G Bill, which was passed by the Parliament recently, replacing the decades-old Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), despite strong protests from the Opposition.
In a video message posted on Congress's X handle, the Rajya Sabha MP stated that the BJP-led Centre has run a "bulldozer" over the MGNREGA, by removing Mahatma Gandhi's name and making significant changes arbitrarily.
"...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," Sonia Gandhi said.
"Now, who gets how much employment, where, and in what manner will be decided by the government sitting in Delhi, far removed from ground realities," she added.
The Centre introduced and passed the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, 2025 (VB–G Ram G Bill) in the Parliament this week, despite relentless protests by the Opposition.
The Bill made significant changes to MGNREGA by increasing the funding burden on states to 40 per cent and the guaranteed wage employment for rural households from 100 days to 125 days in a financial year.
Recalling the passing of MGNREGA during the Manmohan Singh regime, Sonia Gandhi said it was a revolutionary step that helped crores of poor families by bringing a halt to migration and empowering gram panchayats.
"I still remember vividly, 20 years ago when Dr. Manmohan Singh ji was the Prime Minister, the MGNREGA Act was passed in Parliament by consensus. It was such a revolutionary step, the benefits of which reached crores of rural families. Especially, it became a means of livelihood for the deprived, exploited, poor, and the poorest of the poor," she said.
"Migration in search of employment—leaving behind one's soil, one's village, one's home and family—came to a halt. A legal right to employment was provided, and along with it, gram panchayats were empowered," she added.
The veteran politician also said that through MGNREGA, "a concrete step was taken toward realising the dream of an India based on Mahatma Gandhi's vision of Gram Swaraj."
She alleged that for the past decade, the BJP-led government at the Centre had made multiple attempts to weaken the scheme.
"In the last 11 years, the Modi government has ignored the interests of the unemployed, the poor, and the deprived in rural areas, making every effort to weaken MGNREGA, even though during the COVID times, it proved to be a lifeline for the poor," she said.
She reiterated that the Congress had a major role in bringing and implementing MGNREGA, while also stressing that 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," she said.
The Congress leader asserted that she remained committed to fighting against the "black law."
"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 said.
