Vikas Bharat Rozgar and Aajeevika Guarantee Mission Bill introduced in Lok Sabha amidst strong opposition protest

The Viksit Bharat Rozgar aur Aajeevika Guarantee Mission - Rural (Viksit Bharat Jai Ram Ji) Bill, 2025 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday amidst opposition protests and sloganeering.
Opposition members opposed the introduction of the bill, saying the government wants to remove Mahatma Gandhi's name from the act, hence the bill is being brought. They said that the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) provides employment to poor rural people, and the government is depriving them of it by changing its principles.
Minister of Rural Development Shivaraj Singh Chouhan said that Mahatma Gandhi is in our hearts, we not only respect Mahatma Gandhi but the government is also implementing many welfare schemes based on his ideas. Our government has spent more on MGNREGA for the poor than before. Now, instead of 100 days, a guarantee of 125 days will be provided. Our resolve is the welfare of the poor, and this resolve will be fulfilled. In this commitment, the goal is a developed village, which is for the welfare of the poor. This bill will bring complete development to the village. Mahatma Gandhi himself wanted Ram Rajya. It is beyond understanding that the opposition is opposing Ram Rajya. This bill has been introduced to ensure that every poor person gets proper employment.
During this, opposition members came to the center of the house and started sloganeering against the bill. The Lok Sabha Speaker introduced the bill amidst intense protests.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi strongly opposed the bill, saying that for the past 20 years, MGNREGA has been providing rural employment. It provides 100 days of employment to the poorest of the poor. The poorest people get employment under MGNREGA. Under this, employment was provided to poor brothers and sisters on the basis of demand. For this, funds were also sought from the center on the basis of demand. Now, in this bill, the center has been allowed to send as much capital as it wants, which is unconstitutional. According to the true spirit of the Constitution, every person should have the power in their hands, this bill is against it. 90 percent of the grant in MGNREGA used to come from the central government, now only 60 percent will come from the central government, which will increase the financial burden on the state. This bill increases central control and reduces responsibility. The intention behind changing the name of every scheme is beyond understanding. The central government has to spend money on this work. This bill should be withdrawn and the government should bring a new bill. It should also be sent to the standing committee for a thorough examination.
DMK's TR Baalu opposed the introduction of the bill, saying that Mahatma Gandhi had said that the soul of the nation lives in the village. The Manmohan Singh government had started the MGNREGA scheme, which provided employment to millions of people. Since it was named after Mahatma Gandhi, the government hates it and wants to change its name.
Trinamool Congress's Sugata Roy opposed the introduction of the bill, saying that it is not right to change the scheme named after the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi. The bill has been made supply-based instead of demand-based. It should be sent to the select committee for a detailed discussion.
RSP leader NK Premachandran opposed the bill, saying that the government should explain why it is removing the name of the Father of the Nation. This scheme was a centrally sponsored scheme that was demand-based, but now it has been converted into a supply-based scheme. This will increase the financial responsibility of the states. This clause is making a mockery of the bill. This bill will harm employment.
Congress's Shashi Tharoor opposed the bill, saying that we will not achieve welfare goals through this. Removing the name of the Father of the Nation is not appropriate. MGNREGA was not a political program but a social program aimed at the development of the poor. This will shift 40 percent of the funding burden to state governments, which will create difficulties for poor states.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said that they will do what needs to be done in the national interest. Congress's KC Venugopal said that this is unconstitutional. MGNREGA provides a guarantee of employment to the poor, but now it will only remain a guarantee of employment on paper. He further said that the minister who removes Mahatma Gandhi's name will be remembered.
Samajwadi Party's Dharmendra Yadav protested, saying that the central government is continuously reducing its responsibilities and increasing the burden on the states. No citizen of this country can tolerate the insult of Mahatma Gandhi. This bill is an insult to Mahatma Gandhi.
NCP leader Supriya Sule said, "We are not opposed to a change in policy. It should be sent to a joint committee. Mahatma Gandhi's name should not be removed from it."