• Source:JND

VB-G RAM G Bill Row: Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Saturday wrote a note on X over the VB-G RAM G Bill, recently cleared by the Parliament, accusing the Modi government of bulldozing the MGNREGA, and asserting that the "black law" that seeks to repeal it will be defied by the lakhs of party workers.

"Brothers and sisters.. Namaskar, I still remember vividly, 20 years ago, when Dr Manmohan Singh ji was the Prime Minister, the MGNREGA Act was passed in Parliament by consensus. It was such a revolutionary step, the benefits of which reached crores of rural families. Especially, it became a means of livelihood for the deprived, exploited, poor, and the poorest of the poor," she recalled in the post written in Hindi.

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Migration in search of employment—leaving behind one's soil, one's village, one's home and family—came to a halt, Gandhi asserted, adding that a legal right to employment was provided, and along with it, gram panchayats were empowered. Through MGNREGA, a concrete step was taken toward realising the dream of an India based on Mahatma Gandhi's vision of Gram Swaraj, she added.

'Modi Govt Ignored Interest Of Poor'

In the last 11 years, the Modi government has ignored the interests of the unemployed, the poor, and the deprived in rural areas, making every effort to weaken MGNREGA, even though during the COVID times, it proved to be a lifeline for the poor, the Congress leader highlighted.

'Government Ran A Bulldozer Over MGNREGA'

But it is a matter of great regret that just recently, the government ran a bulldozer over MGNREGA, she asserted, saying "Not only was Mahatma Gandhi's name removed, but the form and structure of MGNREGA was changed arbitrarily—without any deliberation, without consulting anyone, without taking the opposition into confidence."

Now, who gets how much employment, where, and in what manner will be decided by the government sitting in Delhi, far removed from ground realities, she highlighted.

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"The Congress had a major role in bringing and implementing MGNREGA, but it was never a party-specific matter. It was a scheme connected to the national interest and the people's interest. By weakening this law, the Modi government has attacked the interests of crores of farmers, labourers, and landless poor in the rural sector across the country," her not read.

"We are all ready to counter this attack. Twenty years ago, I too fought to secure the right to employment for our poor brothers and sisters; today, I remain committed to fighting against this black law. All Congress leaders like me and lakhs of workers stand with you. Jai Hind," she concluded.

Meanwhile, the VB-G RAM G Bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha with a voice vote late on Thursday night, hours after the Lok Sabha cleared it, amid strong protests by the opposition over the removal of Mahatma Gandhi's name from the existing rural employment guarantee scheme and accusing the government of putting the financial burden on states.


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