Opposition MPs Stage Protest at Parliament, Demand Rollback of G RAM G Bill
Opposition MPs protest inside Parliament complex against VB-G RAM G Bill, demand withdrawal over removal of Mahatma Gandhi’s name from MGNREGA.
New Delhi, Dec 18: Opposition MPs staged a protest march inside the Parliament House complex on Thursday, demanding the withdrawal of the government’s Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill. The protest was sparked by the Bill’s proposal to replace the UPA-era Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and remove Mahatma Gandhi’s name.
Carrying photographs of Mahatma Gandhi and a large banner reading “Mahatma Gandhi NREGA,” the MPs marched from the Gandhi statue at Prerna Sthal to Makar Dwar, raising slogans against the government.
Key leaders participating included Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, AICC general secretary K C Venugopal, DMK’s K Kanhimozhi, TR Ballu, A Raja, IUML’s E T Mohammed Basheer, Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Arvind Sawant, and RSP’s N K Premchandran. Senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi also joined the demonstration at Makar Dwar.
“Today Parliament is witnessing the murder of democracy. By removing Mahatma Gandhi’s name from NREGA, they are attempting to undermine democratic values and the ideology of the Father of the Nation,” Venugopal told reporters.
The VB-G RAM G Bill, currently under debate in Parliament, proposes a statutory guarantee of 125 days of wage employment per year to every rural household whose adult members volunteer for unskilled manual work. Once enacted, states will have six months to create schemes aligned with the new provisions.
The opposition has strongly opposed the Bill, alleging it disrespects Mahatma Gandhi and dilutes key provisions of the existing MGNREGA law, intensifying political tensions in Parliament.
