Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], January 27 : Congress on Tuesday staged a 'Lok Bhavan Chalo' protest in Bengaluru against the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission - Gramin (VB-G-RAM-G) Act, voicing concerns over changes in the employment scheme.
Karnataka Law Minister HK Patil, who was also present in the protest, said, "How many corruption cases from MGNREGA have they dug out? ...The bill is of the people's interest."
The VB-G RAM G Act was passed in the Winter Session of the Parliament in 2025 and replaces the 100-day employment guarantee with a 125-day guarantee. However, the Opposition has criticised the legislation for removing Mahatma Gandhi's name and for removing the 60:40 share of funds between the Centre and states.
A day earlier, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar questioned the feasibility of implementing the Act, asserting that "no state could provide the grant."
Speaking to reporters, Shivakumar stated that the state lacks the necessary funds to support the new bill.
"They cannot implement the new bill. Who will provide the funds for it? No state can provide the grant. Some have said they will come for a discussion. We are ready to answer all things during the discussion in the state Assembly," Shivakumar said.
Further, Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge alleged that the VB-G-RAM G Bill has violated the Constitution.
"More importantly, they know that if they are going to get into a debate about the MGNREGA, they have nothing to say on the subject. The VB-G-RAM G bill has violated the powers of the panchayat, violated the Constitution. There is no minimum wage for labour. They've diluted the entire right-to-work. So they don't want to discuss that; hence, they want to disrupt the assembly," the Congress leader said.
"It is clear that the BJP does not intend to ensure the smooth functioning of the Karnataka assembly. They ensured that the governor violated the norms, the traditions, and, more importantly, the articles of the Constitution by not reading the governor's speech. He was in such a tearing hurry to prove a point that the governor didn't even wait for the national anthem to be played. When it was proposed that it should be discussed. The BJP does not intend to discuss it," Kharge told ANI.