Parliament Passes VB-G RAM G Bill; Oppn Cries Foul & Sits On Dharna

: Parliament on Thursday passed the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill (VB-G RAM G), a landmark legislation that seeks to replace the 20-year-old Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). The new scheme promises 125 days of rural wage employment annually, but its passage was marred by loud protests, walkouts, and accusations from opposition parties.

The Bill was first cleared in the Lok Sabha after an eight-hour debate and later passed in the Rajya Sabha through a voice vote. Opposition members strongly objected to the removal of Mahatma Gandhi's name from the existing scheme and accused the government of shifting financial responsibility onto the states.

Opposition Walkout and Dharna

The Rajya Sabha witnessed chaotic scenes as several opposition MPs tore pages of the Bill and staged a walkout. Chairman C. P. Radhakrishnan warned members against approaching the treasury benches amid the uproar. Following the walkout, opposition parties sat on a dharna outside Samvidhan Sadan, pledging to launch a nationwide agitation against the legislation.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) announced a 12-hour protest on the Parliament stairs, while other opposition leaders demanded that the Bill be referred to a parliamentary committee for further scrutiny.

Government's Defense

Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who piloted the Bill, defended the move, arguing that MGNREGA had "outlived its utility" and was plagued by corruption during the UPA regime. He accused the Congress of repeatedly "killing Gandhi's ideals" and using his name for electoral gains.

"This Bill is very necessary as it will help provide employment opportunities, aid rural development, and take the country forward," Chouhan said during the debate. He added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a developed India required strong rural foundations.
Chouhan also accused the opposition of "insulting democracy" through disruptive protests, remarking: "House dadagiri se nahin chalega. The entire nation is watching their goondagardi."

Financial Commitments and Vision

The minister highlighted that while the UPA government had released ₹2.13 lakh crore for MGNREGA, the NDA government had allocated nearly ₹8.53 lakh crore. He said the new Bill envisages spending ₹10-11 lakh crore on initiatives such as water conservation, rural infrastructure, livelihood projects, and climate resilience measures.

Chouhan stressed that the focus would now shift from wage payments to creating permanent assets and developing model villages, aligning with Modi's dream of making India a developed nation.

Addressing reporters at the BJP headquarters, Chouhan lashed out at the opposition for tearing papers and standing on desks in the Lok Sabha. He described their conduct as "hooliganism" and said they had reduced democracy to "bheedtantra" (mobocracy) and "goondatantra" (hooliganism).

Despite the uproar, the government maintained that the VB-G RAM G Bill represents a major step toward strengthening rural employment and infrastructure, while the opposition vowed to continue its resistance both inside and outside Parliament.

With inputs from PTI