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During the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament, the passage of the ‘VB-G RAM G Bill, 2025’ triggered massive protests by Opposition MPs. The government defended the move, saying Mahatma Gandhi’s name was added to NREGA for electoral reasons, while the Opposition accused it of insulting Gandhi and weakening rural employment guarantees.
VB-G RAM G Bill Passed in Lok Sabha
New Delhi: The Winter Session of Parliament is underway, and on Thursday, the Lok Sabha witnessed massive uproar when the government passed the ‘Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Rural) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025’. Opposition MPs strongly protested against it, accusing the government of insulting Mahatma Gandhi.
The opposition claims that the new law weakens the original form of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). The Congress and other opposition parties alleged that the government is deliberately removing Mahatma Gandhi's name from the rural employment scheme, which has been a symbol of socio-economic transformation in rural India.
G RAM G bill debate opens in Lok Sabha, Government cites Gandhi’s vision
Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan rejected the opposition's allegations, stating that Mahatma Gandhi's name was added to NREGA keeping the 2009 elections in mind. Speaking in the Lok Sabha, he said that the purpose of this law is not politics, but to strengthen rural employment and livelihoods.
Shivraj Singh Chouhan also responded to criticism from Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi. He said that the Congress, during its rule, had named many schemes after the Nehru-Gandhi family. He listed various welfare schemes and accused the Congress of playing politics.
As soon as the bill was passed, opposition MPs rushed to the well of the House. They raised slogans, tore up copies of the bill, and threw them towards the Speaker's chair. The Lok Sabha proceedings were disrupted several times during this period. Opposition MPs called it a direct attack on Gandhi's ideals.
What is G RAM G? Complete details of the bill set to replace MGNREGA
Earlier in the day, opposition parties held a protest march within the Parliament premises and demanded that the government withdraw the bill. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said that this law is an insult to Mahatma Gandhi and attacks the right to work, which has brought about significant socio-economic change in rural India.
The 'VB-G RAM G' bill will provide a legal guarantee of 125 days of employment per year to every rural household whose adult members voluntarily engage in unskilled manual labor. States will be required to align their schemes with the provisions of this law within six months of its enactment.
