Left parties demand withdrawal of VB-G RAM G Bill, announce protest

New Delhi, Dec 17 (PTI) Left parties on Wednesday demanded the government to withdraw the rural employment Bill that seeks to replace the existing law MGNREGA, and gave a call for a joint protest against it on December 22.

In a joint statement issued here, Communist Party of India (Marxist), CPI, CPI(ML) Liberation, Revolutionary Socialist Party and All India Forward Bloc opposed the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill.

The Left parties alleged that the change in the scheme's name from MGNREGA to G RAM G is an insult to Mahatma Gandhi and reflects the BJP/RSS's hostility towards his legacy.

"The Left parties strongly oppose the BJP-led Union Government's move to alter the basic character of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), which was enacted due to the pressure exerted by the Left parties on the UPA government," the statement said, calling upon people to mobilise in large numbers and protest on December 22 against the Bill.

The Left parties said MGNREGA is a universal, demand-driven law that provides a limited right to work and the new Bill changes this character and denies people even this limited right.

"It legally absolves the Union Government of its responsibility to allocate funds in accordance with demand," the statement said.

The parties said the government's claim of increasing guaranteed employment from 100 to 125 days is yet another of its well-known "jumlas".

"The Bill excludes large sections of rural households in the name of rationalising job cards. The suspension of employment for up to 60 days during peak agricultural seasons will deny work when it is most needed by rural workers and make them dependent on landlords. Mandatory digital attendance causes immense difficulties for workers, including loss of work and denial of their rights," it said.

The parties demanded that the BJP-led government immediately withdraw the VB G-RAM-G Bill.

"The Left parties will protest against these proposed changes throughout the country on 22 December," it said.

They also demanded MGNREGA to be strengthened by making it universal, allocating necessary funds to ensure that at least 200-day of minimum employment is provided.

The VB-G RAM G Bill, 2025 that seeks to replace the existing rural employment law MGNREGA was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday. It provides for 125 days of work and talks about establishing a rural development framework aligned with the national vision of Viksit Bharat 2047. PTI AO KVK KVK