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Sonia Gandhi accuses Modi govt of ‘bulldozing’ MGNREGA: ‘Ready to fight black law’
“Not only was the name of Mahatma Gandhi removed, but MGNREGA's true form was changed without a second thought," Sonia Gandhi said.
Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Saturday launched criticism against the Centre over VB-G RAM G Bill, accusing the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government of “bulldozing MGNREGA.”
The VB-G RAM G Bill, introduced by the NDA-led government to replace MGNREGA on Tuesday, cleared the Parliament this week. The proposed law ensures 125 days of mandatory wage employment against 100 days of UPA-era MGNREGA.
“It is very saddening to see that the government has now run a bulldozer over MGNREGA,” Sonia said in a video message. She further said that she was “determine to fight this black law”.
The former Congress president said that the “true form of MGNREGA” had been changed. “Not only was the name of Mahatma Gandhi removed, but MGNREGA's true form was changed without a second thought, without consulting anyone, and without the trust of the opposition,” Sonia said.
She said that MGNREGA was a “national and public interest-related scheme”, alleging that the Modi government had “weakened” the law and “attacked the interests of the poor” and crores of farmers.
Sonia claimed that with the new legislation, the government will “sit in Delhi and decide” how much employment it will provide and where. “Congress played a major role in bringing and implementing MGNREGA. But it was never a party-related matter,” Sonia added.
Recalling the passing of the MGNREGA in Parliament 20 years ago, Sonia said it was a “revolutionary step which benefitted millions of rural families.”
“It became a means of livelihood for the deprived, the exploited, the poor, and the extremely poor,” Sonia said.
“At the same time, the village panchayats also gained strength. Through MGNREGA, a major step was taken towards the dream of Mahatma Gandhi's village swaraj in India,” the Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson said, adding that the scheme had also been a source of livelihood for the poor during Covid-19.
The Centre has maintained that MGNREGA was riddled with corruption during the UPA rule and the expected funds, meant for procuring material, was not used for designated jobs. It has said that the new bill, the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, is not just about corruption of material procurement.
The government said the legislation brings in several changes in guaranteed days, funding pattern, wage payment, along with new provisions like 60-day pause.
The government has allocated ₹95,000 crore for the VB-G RAM G Bill, which was passed through a voice vote in Lok Sabha amid dissent from the Opposition.
Several MPs from the opposition parties entered the well of the House, raising slogans against the government. Some tore copies of the bill and and flung it towards the chair.
The Opposition, led by the Congress party, has claimed that the NDA government, by withdrawing MGNREGA, is insulting Mahatma Gandhi and diluting the provisions of the Act.
The MGNREGA Act provided an employment guarantee for at least 100 days in its initial years, while states had to right to increase 50 days of work.
The new bill provides a statutory guarantee of 125 days of wage employment, according to a statement by the Centre, which also said that the intent of the bill is to ensure that money is well-spent, and to introduce transparency in spending.
