New Delhi, 16 December (H.S.): On Tuesday, opposition lawmakers staged a spirited demonstration in the Parliament House complex, decrying the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, 2025—VB-G RAM G Bill—as a affront to Mahatma Gandhi by supplanting the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

Leaders Unite at Gandhi Statue in Defiance

Prominent figures including Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, DMK's T.R. Baalu, and RSP's N.K. Premchandran converged at the Mahatma Gandhi statue, chanting Gandhi ji ka ye apmaan nahi sahega Hindustan to protest the bill's introduction in Lok Sabha. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra charged the government with intent to dismantle the UPA-era MGNREGA, a cornerstone for rural wage security.

Flashpoint Bill Signals Policy Shift

Introduced by Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the legislation promises enhanced 125 workdays per rural household versus MGNREGA's 100, yet opposition demands its withdrawal and scrutiny by a standing committee, highlighting tensions over nomenclature and rural welfare safeguards.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar