New Delhi: The Congress party has signaled an aggressive political push against the Modi government over the newly passed Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Employment and Livelihood Mission–Grameen (VB-G RAM G) Bill, setting the stage for a fresh confrontation between the ruling NDA and the opposition.
A key meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj has been convened on December 29, where the bill will be discussed in detail and compared with the UPA-era Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). The committee is chaired by Congress MP Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka, and the agenda includes seeking clarifications from the Ministry of Rural Development on the objectives and framework of the new law.
Why the Meeting Matters
The meeting has assumed political significance as the VB-G RAM G Bill has already been passed by Parliament and is currently awaiting the President’s assent. Once approved, it will be notified in the Gazette and become law. BJP MPs have expressed surprise and objection over the committee discussing a bill that has already cleared both Houses but is yet to be formally notified.
BJP MP Vivek Thakur, a member of the committee, questioned the decision, calling it “ill-considered” and arguing that parliamentary committees are meant to review the implementation of laws, not reopen debate on legislation already passed by Parliament.
BJP Prepares Counter-Offensive
NDA members are preparing to raise the issue before Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, asserting that the committee has overstepped its mandate. According to BJP leaders, revisiting a freshly passed bill amounts to undermining parliamentary procedure. They argue that committees can only offer post-enactment reviews and recommendations, not deliberate on bills still in the process of becoming law.
Allegations of Political Motive
The BJP has accused Congress of deliberately politicising the issue by comparing the new scheme with MGNREGA. NDA leaders claim the opposition is attempting to revive political sentiment around the removal of Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the rural employment law, as the new legislation replaces the MGNREGA framework.
Congress and other opposition parties have criticised the new law, alleging that it weakens employment guarantees for rural workers and dismantles a landmark welfare scheme introduced under the UPA government.
Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi Attack Government
Senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi has termed the VB-G RAM G Bill a “black law,” accusing the Modi government of dismantling MGNREGA. She said she fought for the original law 20 years ago and remains ready to fight again. Her remarks followed Rahul Gandhi’s assertion that Congress would force the government to withdraw the new law.
Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP-led government of neglecting rural poor over the past 11 years and launching a sustained attack on the rights of farmers, labourers, and landless workers across the country.
Political Temperature Rising
During the Lok Sabha debate, Ulaka had demanded that the bill be referred to his committee for scrutiny—a request rejected by the government at the time. He has since written to the Speaker reiterating the demand. While setting the committee agenda is typically the chairperson’s prerogative, BJP members have repeatedly objected to such moves, indicating escalating tensions.
With strong positions taken on both sides, the VB-G RAM G Bill is fast emerging as a major flashpoint in Parliament, likely intensifying the political battle between the Congress and the Modi government in the coming weeks.