Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Saturday mounted a sharp attack on the Centre over the passage of the VB-G RAM G Bill, accusing the Narendra Modi–led NDA government of effectively dismantling the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
The new legislation, introduced by the government to replace the two-decade-old MGNREGA, was passed by Parliament earlier this week. While the Bill promises 125 days of rural wage employment annually—up from the 100 days guaranteed under MGNREGA—Sonia Gandhi said the changes hollow out the scheme’s original spirit.
In a video message, the former Congress president said it was “deeply distressing” to see what she described as a bulldozing of MGNREGA, adding that the Congress was determined to oppose what she termed a “black law.” She alleged that the core character of the employment guarantee programme had been altered without wider consultation.
Sonia Gandhi said the removal of Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the scheme symbolised a deeper shift. “The government changed the very essence of MGNREGA without discussion, without consensus and without taking the opposition into confidence,” she said.
Describing MGNREGA as a programme rooted in national and public interest, she accused the Centre of weakening protections for the rural poor and farmers. According to her, the new law centralises decision-making, allowing the Union government to determine how much work will be provided and where, undermining the role of states and local bodies.
She underlined that while the Congress played a key role in introducing and implementing MGNREGA, it was never conceived as a partisan initiative. Recalling its passage in Parliament 20 years ago, Sonia Gandhi said the law marked a transformative moment for rural India, providing livelihood security to millions of vulnerable families.
She added that MGNREGA strengthened village panchayats and advanced Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of village self-rule, while also serving as a crucial safety net for the poor during the Covid-19 pandemic.
