Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], December 20 : Congress leader Pawan Khera has slammed the government over the Viksit Bharat-G RAM G bill, which was passed by Parliament on Friday, and said the legislation attacks the very essence of the MGNREGA framework, which in turn is an "attack on the working class of the country".
"What was intended to be a demand-driven scheme has been reduced to a supply-based scheme. The funds supplied by the central government, which were 100% earlier, will be reduced to 60% and based on the supply of the funds, the employment will be decided," Khera told ANI.
"The works, what kind of work will be undertaken, were earlier decided by the Gram Panchayat and Gram Sabhas...so it has not just been diluted. They have attacked the very essence of this demand-driven scheme, MGNREGA. This is an attack on the working class of the country," he said.
Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, in a post on X, accused the Modi government of "demolishing twenty years of MGNREGA in one day."
He said that the Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin): Viksit Bharat - G RAM G Bill, 2025, was not a reform but a dilution, replacing a legal guarantee of work with a rationed, Delhi-controlled scheme.
Gandhi, in his post, noted that MGNREGA had given rural workers bargaining power, reduced exploitation and distress migration, improved wages and working conditions, while simultaneously strengthening rural infrastructure. "That leverage is precisely what this government wants to break," he said.
He also highlighted the scheme's role during the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that it prevented millions from falling into hunger and debt when livelihoods collapsed. Gandhi stressed that women, who account for over half of MGNREGA person-days, along with Dalits, Adivasis, landless workers and the poorest OBC communities, would be the worst affected by any cap on employment.
Gandhi alleged that the bill was "bulldozed through Parliament" after the government rejected demands to send it to a Standing Committee. He maintained that Congress would stand with workers, states and panchayats to seek withdrawal of the bill.