The passage of the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill in the Lok Sabha on Thursday has armed the ruling BJP politically, while the opposition Congress views it as an attempt to end the rural job guarantee scheme. Congress has planned nationwide protests, claiming the move seeks to erase Mahatma Gandhi's name from history.
The Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, known as the G Ram G Bill, has passed both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, replacing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). BJP leaders see it as striking at the root of the UPA government's flagship scheme, which had built significant political capital for Congress. Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan targeted Congress and the Gandhi family in his Lok Sabha speech, pitching the bill as a corruption-free and more effective empowerment tool for the poor.
The opposition mounted fierce protests. Congress MPs stormed the well of the House, tore copies of the bill and papers, and flung them into the air, creating chaos. Speaker Om Birla warned that MPs were not sent to throw papers. Three Congress MPs from Kerala climbed onto the reporters' table, shouted slogans, and scattered paper. Speaking to reporters outside, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said: "Anyone who reads the (G Ram G) Bill carefully would know… this scheme will slowly be finished off because the state governments do not have enough money."
Congress views the issue as more potent than its 'vote chori' campaign ahead of assembly elections in four states. The Congress Working Committee will meet on December 27 to plan extensive protests. The ruckus prevented a scheduled debate on Delhi-NCR air pollution. A BJP MP noted that repealing MGNREGA without major backlash weakens Congress's legacy, as it fueled their 2009 surge. An opposition leader called it a sharp weapon resonating with villages and women.
