Shivraj Chouhan introduces VB-G RAM-G Bill in Lok Sabha; Congress calls for nationwide protests, says "insult to Mahatma Gandhi's ideals"

New Delhi [India], December 16 : Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan introduced the Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, 2025, also referred to as the VB-G RAM-G Bill, which aims to replace the two-decade-old Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
The introduction of the Bill was met with uproar from the Opposition MPs.
Opposing the Bill, Congress has announced a series of nationwide protests on December 17, accusing the BJP and RSS of attempting to "dismantle rights-based welfare" and replace it with charity controlled from the Centre. The party has directed its state units (Pradesh Congress Committees) to organise protests at all district headquarters.
The demonstrations will feature portraits of Mahatma Gandhi to symbolise resistance against the "erasure of his name and values" and highlight the potential impact of the new law on millions of beneficiaries.
The Bill introduced by the Agriculture Minister in the Lok Sabha guarantees 125 days of wage employment per rural household, up from the existing 100 days, for adult members willing to undertake unskilled manual work. As per Section 22 of the Bill, the fund-sharing pattern between the Central Government and the State Governments will be 60:40, while for the North Eastern States, Himalayan States, and Union Territories (Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir), it will be 90:10.
Section 6 of the Bill allows the State governments to notify in advance, a period aggregating to sixty days in a financial year, covering the peak agricultural seasons of sowing and harvesting, when no work will be commenced or executed under the Bill.
In the Parliament, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra strongly opposed the VB-G Ram G Bill, asserting that the proposed legislation would "weaken" the original MGNREGA and undermine its guaranteed 100 days of employment.
Participating in the Lok Sabha debate, the Wayanad MP said that no legislation should be rushed through Parliament without adequate consultation or discussion, and alleged that the Bill was being pushed through due to "personal obsession" or "bias."
The Congress leader said, "The Bill should not be rushed through without proper consultation with the House or any discussion. It ought to be withdrawn, and the government should introduce a new bill. Although Mahatma Gandhi was not personally related to me, he was like family. This is the emotion of the entire nation. This bill should be referred to the Standing Committee for detailed examination. No legislation should be pushed through merely due to personal obsession or bias."
The Congress leader further pointed out that MNREGA employees have often faced delays in receiving their wages.
"I don't understand this thing about changing names. This new bill will weaken the right to income for at least 100 days. Wherever you go, MNREGA employees will tell you that they have not received their wages," she added.
As the Opposition also pointed out the naming of Bill in Hindi, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju responded by urging the MPs to stick to the debate under Rule 72 of the House.
Backing the Bill, Rijiju also said that the government will pass the legislation in the national interest.
Kiren Rijiju said, "We also have (other) Business to Parliament. We will pass the legislation we have to in the national interest. The Speaker has reminded you to keep your opposition to the Bill limited to Rule 72. You are going into the Official Language Act. The Union of India uses two languages, English and Hindi. They are misusing Rule 72 and understand the cost of time."
Meanwhile, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, termed the VB-G RAM-G Bill an "insult to the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi."
Launching a scathing attack at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for removing Mahatma Gandhi's name from the nation's flagship rural employment scheme, Rahul Gandhi alleged that the Centre initially weakened the scheme and is now wiping it out.
The Congress MP, in a post on X, said, "Modi ji has a deep hatred for two things - the ideas of Mahatma Gandhi and the rights of the poor. MGNREGA is a living embodiment of Mahatma Gandhi's dream of village self-rule - it is a lifeline for millions of rural lives, which also proved to be their economic safety shield during the COVID era. However, Prime Minister Modi has always been irritated by this scheme, and for the past ten years, he has been trying to weaken it. Today, he is determined to wipe out MGNREGA completely."
Rahul Gandhi lambasted the Centre for the 60:40 share of the Union and State governments, respectively, in funding the scheme and 'no work' provided under the Act during the peak agricultural season.
"The foundation of MGNREGA was based on three core ideas. 1. Right to employment - whoever demands work will get it, 2. Freedom for villages to decide their own development works, 3. The central government will bear the full cost of wages and 75 per cent of the material costs. Now, Prime Minister Modi wants to change this very MGNREGA to concentrate all power solely in his own hands -1. The centre will decide the budget, schemes, and rules 2. States will be forced to bear 40 per cent of the expenses. 3. As soon as the budget is exhausted or during the crop harvest season, no one will get work for two months," he said.
He announced that Congress will oppose the Bill on the streets and in Parliament.
"This new bill is an insult to the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi - the Modi government has already destroyed the future of India's youth through severe unemployment, and now this bill is a means to eliminate the secure livelihood of rural poor as well. We will oppose this anti-people bill from the village lanes all the way to Parliament," the X post read.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor also slammed the central government and claimed that attempting to include "Ram" while removing Mahatma Gandhi's name is a disrespect to both names.
Referencing an iconic Kishore Kumar song from the 1970s titled 'Ram ka Naam Badnam Na Karo', Tharoor opposed the inclusion of multiple languages in the bill (Hindi and English), while the Constitution calls for only one language to be used.
"The Bill's name is not right because two languages have been used, while one language should be used according to the constitution. Removing Mahatma Gandhi's name is not good in itself, but they used multiple languages to include 'RAM' in it. This is not a serious matter. Mahatma Gandhi used to speak about Ram Rajya, and the vision of Ram Rajya and Gram Swaraj was one for him. Ram Rajya will prevail in our country when Gram Swaraj is there. We can use the name of Lord Ram in various other contexts, but removing the name of Mahatma Gandhi? This is why I said don't insult the name of Lord Ram, but they did the same," Tharoor said.
Samajwadi Party chief and Lok Sabha MP Akhilesh Yadav criticised the Bill, claiming that the legislation will put "entire burden" on state governments.
Speaking to ANI, Akhilesh Yadav said that the 60:40 share of funds under the new Bill will create a tussle between the Centre and the states.
He also took a jibe at the Union government over the renaming of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), saying the Centre is copying the Uttar Pradesh government.
He said, "Politics and schemes should be such that they benefit people. A large number of people used to get employment opportunities through MGNREGA...You will put the entire burden on State governments; States will pass it on to the Centre. Several states have still not received the funds for MGNREGA. The UP government is playing tricks with its data. State governments are doing manipulation. So, what do you want to do? How will the schemes resolve the issues of the CMs? They will create problems for the CMs and the State government."
"Renaming it won't make much of a difference. Government in Delhi (at the Centre) is copying the UP government; UP government holds the record for maximum renaming," the SP chief said.
However, BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi weighed in on Congress' disapproval of MGNREGA being replaced with VB-G Ram G, stating that the opposition party and its problem with Lord Ram's name is the reason for the objection.
Speaking to ANI, Naqvi said, "Congress party's problem is why the name Lord Ram was included in the Bill. They cannot tolerate the inclusion of Lord Ram's name, which is why they are creating such a fuss."
"Their intolerance towards Lord Ram is getting exposed again in this case. In their mind, older schemes should only be named after Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi or any one of their family members. If Lord Ram's name came up anywhere, even in short form, or if there is any mention of the welfare of the poor sections, they are unable to digest the fact. That's also why they are creating all this fuss as well," the BJP leader stated.