Govt in hurry to remove Mahatma Gandhi's name: O'Brien on G RAM G Bill

New Delhi, Dec 17 (PTI) Trinamool Congress leader in Rajya Sabha Derek O'Brien on Wednesday accused the government of being in a rush to pass the VB-G RAM G Bill, which seeks to replace MGNREGA, and remove the name of Mahatma Gandhi from the rural employment law.

As the Bill was taken up for discussion in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday amid the opposition's demand to send it to a Parliamentary panel, O'Brien said the Rajya Sabha's Business Advisory Committee has not yet allocated time for a discussion on the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025.

"... no time has been allocated in Rajya Sabha as yet for the Bill that insults Mahatma Gandhi ji," O'Brien told PTI.

"The proposed bill is both anti-poor and anti-federal. The government wants to mock Parliament and rush a bill without sending it to a committee for scrutiny," he said.

"They want to remove the name of Mahatma Gandhi and they are in a desperate hurry to do so," he said.

The VB-G RAM G Bill provides for 125 days of wage employment in every financial year to every rural household whose adult members volunteer to undertake unskilled manual work and talks about establishing a rural development framework aligned with the national vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.

Opposition parties, as well as activists, have opposed the Bill. Cutting across party lines, several opposition MPs have said the Bill, which will have far-reaching implications for rural employment, should be sent to a Parliamentary panel. PTI AO DIV DIV