NEW DELHI, Dec 22: Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Monday mounted a sharp attack on the BJP-led Centre, accusing it of systematically dismantling the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and warning that its replacement could have “catastrophic consequences” for India’s rural population.
Her remarks came days after Parliament passed the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Employment and Livelihood Mission (Rural) Bill, popularly referred to as the VB-G RAM G Bill, amid strong Opposition protests. The legislation has since received President Droupadi Murmu’s assent and come into force.
In an article published in a national daily, Sonia Gandhi argued that MGNREGA, enacted in 2005 as a rights-based law guaranteeing the constitutional right to work, was being dismantled “without discussion, consultation or respect for parliamentary processes.” She described the removal of Mahatma Gandhi’s name as “only the tip of the iceberg,” emblematic of what she termed a deeper structural erosion of the world’s largest social security programme.
The Congress leader alleged that the weakening of MGNREGA followed a “death by a thousand cuts” approach, marked by stagnant budget allocations, delayed wage payments and the use of technology that, she claimed, disenfranchised workers and reduced the scheme’s effectiveness.
Sonia Gandhi further contended that the new Act replaces a statutory, demand-driven employment guarantee with a “bureaucratic and discretionary programme,” introducing fixed budget caps, ending year-round work, and allowing up to 60 “no-work” days during peak agricultural seasons. She also criticised provisions that increase the states’ funding share from 10 per cent to 40 per cent, warning that financially strained states would be further burdened.
Accusing the Centre of excessive centralisation, she said the new framework sidelines gram sabhas and panchayats, replacing decentralised planning with a top-down model linked to the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan. Rejecting the government’s claim of guaranteeing up to 125 days of employment, she termed the promise “misleading and unachievable.”
Highlighting MGNREGA’s role in supporting rural wages, reducing distress migration and strengthening local governance, Sonia Gandhi said the scheme proved crucial during the Covid-19 pandemic in reaching the poorest households. She linked the changes to what she described as a broader assault on rights-based legislations and called for unity to safeguard workers’ rights.
Meanwhile, Union Minister for Rural Development and Agriculture Shivraj Singh Chouhan defended the new law, dismissing allegations that MGNREGA was being scrapped. He said the Viksit Bharat: G Ram G Act was a progressive reform that statutorily guarantees 125 days of employment, strengthens provisions for unemployment allowance and introduces additional compensation for delayed wage payments.
The Minister accused the Opposition of spreading misinformation and maintained that the revamped programme enhances coverage, accountability and worker protections compared to the earlier scheme.
