New Delhi, Jan 22 (UNI) Congress leader and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Thursday vehemently criticized the newly enacted Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Act, calling it a “mere slogan” and “an assault on the rights of the poor.”
Speaking at the National MGNREGA Workers’ Convention in New Delhi, Gandhi equated the replacement of the UPA-era Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with the disruptive demonetisation, warning of severe negative consequences for rural India.
Gandhi condemned the VB-G RAM G Act as an “anti-village design” that undermines the original MGNREGA’s rights-based, demand-driven framework. He emphasized that the new law’s imposition of capped work and a rationed system will disproportionately harm Dalits, Adivasis, landless workers, and women.
“This move strips power from states and Panchayats, centralizing decision-making in Delhi,” Gandhi asserted, drawing parallels between the repeal of MGNREGA and the controversial “three black farm laws.” He called for a united resistance by workers against the government’s policy shift.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge echoed these sentiments at the same event. He described the repeal of MGNREGA as an attempt by the government to erase Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy and weaken the principle of Gram Swaraj. “We will raise this issue forcefully in the upcoming Budget session of Parliament,” Kharge declared. He urged unity among the people to oppose the implementation of the new law.
The convention witnessed participation from workers across the country, who symbolically brought soil from their work sites to be planted in pots in front of Gandhi and Kharge, reaffirming their commitment to rural livelihoods.
In response to the repeal, the Congress party launched the ‘MGNREGA Bachao Sangram,’ a 45-day nationwide campaign commencing January 10, aimed at mobilizing public opposition to the VB-G RAM G Act. Passed in December 2025, this Act replaces the long-standing MGNREGA, which had guaranteed demand-driven employment and rural empowerment for over a decade.
