Rahul Gandhi Vows Nationwide Protest Against G RAM G Bill, Calls It ‘Anti-Village by Design’

New Delhi: Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Friday vowed to launch a nationwide agitation against the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB–G RAM G) Bill, alleging that it was pushed through Parliament without adequate scrutiny or debate.

A day earlier, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge had also announced plans for a pan-India protest against what he described as the Centre’s “dictatorial approach” in passing the G RAM G Bill, which seeks to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

Describing MGNREGA as the most successful poverty alleviation programme in the country, Rahul Gandhi said the Congress would not allow the Modi government to dismantle what he termed the rural poor’s last line of defence.

“We will stand with workers, panchayats and states to defeat this move and build a nationwide front to ensure this law is withdrawn,” Gandhi said in a strongly worded statement.

Taking exception to what he called the “hurried” passage of the bill through both Houses of Parliament, Gandhi alleged that the government had dismantled two decades of MGNREGA in a single day. He also questioned the “anti-state and anti-village” nature of the new scheme, which is set to replace the UPA-era legislation.

Since its introduction, the G RAM G Bill has triggered sharp exchanges between the treasury and opposition benches, with the Opposition accusing the government of erasing the legacy of the Father of the Nation. The Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha on Thursday amid intense uproar and was later cleared by the Rajya Sabha after a debate that continued until around 1 a.m. on Friday.

Rejecting the Centre’s claim that G RAM G is merely an extension of MGNREGA, Gandhi took to X on Friday to criticise the government in a detailed post.

“VB–G RAM G isn’t a ‘revamp’ of MGNREGA. It demolishes the rights-based, demand-driven guarantee and turns it into a rationed scheme controlled from Delhi. It is anti-state and anti-village by design,” he said.

The Congress leader warned that by capping work and creating additional mechanisms to deny employment, the new scheme would weaken the only safety net available to the rural poor.

“We saw what MGNREGA meant during COVID. When the economy shut down and livelihoods collapsed, it kept crores from falling into hunger and debt,” he said.

Highlighting the programme’s impact on women and marginalised communities, Gandhi noted that women have consistently contributed more than half of the total person-days generated under MGNREGA. He added that women, along with Dalits, Adivasis, landless workers and the poorest OBC communities, would be the worst affected by the new law.

Gandhi also accused the Modi government of ignoring the Opposition’s objections and forcing the Bill through Parliament.

“This law was bulldozed through Parliament without proper scrutiny. The Opposition’s demand to send the Bill to a Standing Committee was rejected. A law that rewires the rural social contract and affects crores of workers should never be rushed through without serious committee scrutiny, expert consultation and public hearings,” he said.

—With inputs from IANS