G RAM G Bill gets Parliament nod; oppn cries foul, sits on dharna

Public Lokpal
December 19, 2025

NEW DELHI: Parliament on Thursday passed the VB-G RAM G Bill, that seeks to replace the 20-year-old MGNREGA and guarantee 125 days of rural wage employment every year, amid vociferous protests by the opposition, with Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan asserting that it was needed to fix shortcomings in the old scheme.

The Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha with a voice vote, hours after the Lok Sabha cleared it on Thursday, amid strong protests by the opposition over the removal of Mahatma Gandhi's name from the existing rural employment guarantee scheme MGNREGA and accusing the government of putting the financial burden on states.

Several members of the opposition staged a walkout in the Rajya Sabha during the passage of the Bill after demanding its withdrawal and raising slogans against the government. They also tore pages of the Bill, with Chairman C P Radhakrishnan warning them not to go towards the treasury benches.

The opposition parties later sat on a dharna outside the Samvidhan Sadan in the Parliament complex against the Bill and claiming that they would launch a country-wide agitation. TMC MPs decided to remain on a 12-hour dharna in Parliament complex on the stairs of Samvidhan Sadan.

The opposition has also demanded that the Bill be sent to a parliamentary panel for further scrutiny.

Earlier in the day, the Lok Sabha passed the bill amid tearing of papers by opposition members who accused the government of destroying rural economy and ignoring Gandhi's principles.

In a spirited reply to the eight-hour discussion on the G RAM G Bill, Chouhan said the bill was brought after extensive deliberations as it was felt that amount to the tune of Rs 10-11 lakh crore should be spent on initiatives such as water conservation, developing core rural and livelihood related infrastructure and taking up special works to mitigate extreme weather events.

As opposition members tore papers and raised slogans in the lower house, Chouhan argued that MGNREGA has outlived its utility and the focus of the government was now on creating permanent assets and developing model villages, instead of just paying wages.

Addressing a press conference at BJP headquarters after passage of the bill in Lok Sabha, Chouhan slammed the opposition for resorting to "hooliganism" in the Lok Sabha by tearing papers and standing on the desks in the House. "Through their behaviour, the opposition disgraced democracy, tore parliamentary traditions to shreds and turned democracy into 'bheedtantra' (mobocracy) and 'goondatantra' (hooliganism)."

PTI