G RAM G Bill: Oppn attacks govt for dropping Mahatma Gandhi's name, putting burden on states

New Delhi, Dec 18 (PTI) Several INDIA bloc parties on Thursday accused the government of removing Mahatma Gandhi's name from the new VB-G RAM G Bill that seeks to replace the 20-year-old MGNREG Act and said the Centre's proposal to increase the financial burden on states will "kill" the rural employment programme.

Alleging that the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill is "anti-labourer", "regressive" and brought with a feudal mindset, the opposition parties said many states, already reeling under debt, will find it very difficult to fund the scheme. They said under the new Bill, 40 per cent of the total cost will shift to the states, while MGNREGA is fully funded by the Centre.

The opposition parties alleged that the government is doing politics by using Lord Ram's name and seeks to eradicate Mahatma Gandhi's legacy and "kill" the rural employment scheme, which is the world's largest such programme.

The government introduced the VB-G RAM G Bill in the Rajya Sabha hours after it was passed in the Lok Sabha during the pre-lunch period.

Opposition members protested the proposed legislation and demanded that it be sent to the parliamentary committee for further scrutiny. They also demanded that the name of Mahatma Gandhi be retained.

Leaders of various parties, including Congress, Trinamool Congress, DMK, CPI-M, CPI, RJD, AAP, JMM, IUML, Samajwadi Party and NCP-SP, opposed the renaming of MGNREGA.

Members of the ruling NDA, however, strongly defended the Bill, saying it has been brought with an aim of strengthening the rural economy and eliminating irregularities and corruption in the existing scheme.

Soon after the nuclear bill was passed, Deputy Chairman Harivansh called Minister of Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan to introduce the Bill, triggering an uproar from the opposition, which demanded more time to file amendments.

DMK's Tiruchi Siva and Congress' Digvijay Singh raised vociferous protests, while Sanjay Singh of AAP said the government is trying to bulldoze the opposition, as was done while passing the three black farm laws.

Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge said MGNREGA is for the poor and the government should not tinker with it. "This is not good," he said, adding that people on the streets will not forgive the government for doing so.

He also accused the Centre of weakening states and the federal system by bringing such a Bill.

"Their intention is to crush the poor and turn them into slaves once again," he said, adding that the NDA government is snatching the right to work from the poor.

Earlier, Digvijaya Singh said he did not understand the rationale for changing the name of MGNREGA and asserted that the Congress gave workers the right to work.

He said the entire cost for MGNREGA was earlier borne by the Centre, but now it will be shared by the Centre and states in 60:40 ratio.

"The BJP government is fundamentally anti-worker," he said, demanding a minimum wage of Rs 400 per day for workers, rights of Gram Panchayats not be taken away and Mahatma Gandhi's name be retained in this Bill.

Initiating the debate, Congress' Mukul Wasnik said this Bill will not only have far-reaching consequences but also affect millions of poor and needy people in India. There was no discussion with experts, and the demand to send this Bill to the Standing Committee was rejected.

"This Bill is not for the benefit of the people. This has been brought as a political weapon," he said.

Wasnik asked whether the Centre took the states into confidence before finalising this Bill as it will worsen their financial situation. If yes, then name them and share their responses, he said.

When the country faced the COVID-19 pandemic, only two schemes -- the National Food Security Act and MGNREGA -- gave people relief, the Congress leader said.

The government may remove the names of Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel, Maulana Azad and B R Ambedkar, who laid the foundation of democracy, but they can never be forgotten as they rest in the hearts of people, he said.

BJP's Indubala Goswami said the Congress itself changed the name of this scheme several times during its tenure and had renamed it MNREGA for its benefit. She said emphasis has been placed on eliminating corruption by enacting new laws.

The new law guarantees 125 days of work instead of 100 days, she added.

Manoj Jha of RJD demanded that the Bill be withdrawn and said that MNREGA came into existence after struggles in several states.

He said that at one time, the slogan was "work for every hand and fair wages for every job".

He criticised the name of the Bill, saying that it was a rhyming combination of English and Hindi words, but it looked absurd. This government is playing politics in the name of Ram, he said.

Sanjay Singh of AAP asked, "How many sins will you hide by taking God's Ram's name?" Subhasish Khuntia of BJD demanded that the proposed legislation be sent to a select committee for scrutiny.

While supporting the Bill, M Thambidurai of AIADMK made a strong case for retaining the name of the rural job guarantee scheme.

"While the AIADMK welcomes this bill, I wish to place on record ...the old name is appropriate...the name must be maintained, not the new name," he said.

BRS member Ravi Chandra Vaddiraju said, "There is not a single person in the country who does not like the name of Lord Ram, but at the same time, many feel proud about Mahatma Gandhi. The name should continue." In Lord Ram's name, the government should have brought a new scheme for the poor, he added.

CPI-M member Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya from West Bengal termed the Bill "unconstitutional" and said it transforms MGNREGA from a demand-driven to a bureaucrat-controlled scheme.

Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya (CPI-M) said the prime minister and his supporters are fighting with the shadow of Mahatma Gandhi and Pandit Nehru.

Ramji Lal Suman (SP) claimed the BJP wants to end the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi. PTI KRH LUX AKV NKD MJH SKC DIV DIV