NEW DELHI DEC 18: Several opposition leaders, led by Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Sonia Gandhi, staged a symbolic march inside Parliament House complex Thursday, clutching Mahatma Gandhi portraits and a massive ‘Mahatma Gandhi NREGA’ banner. They proceeded from Prerna Sthal’s Gandhi statue to Makar Dwar, chanting anti-government slogans against the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin)—VB-G RAM G Bill.
AICC general secretary K C Venugopal accused the government of “murdering democracy” by stripping Gandhi’s name from NREGA, claiming it erodes the Father of the Nation’s ideals and weakens the UPA-era law’s provisions. DMK’s K Kanimozhi, A Raja, IUML’s ET Mohammed Basheer, Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Arvind Sawant, and RSP’s N K Premchandran joined, decrying the move as an insult to Gandhi.
The VB-G RAM G Bill, under debate, promises 125 days of wage employment annually to rural households volunteering for unskilled manual work—up from MGNREGA’s 100 days. States must frame schemes within six months of enactment, but opposition alleges dilution of worker rights amid winter session tensions.
