Sonia Gandhi Slams MGNREGA Repeal as ‘Black Law’
Congress vows nationwide resistance against VB-G RAM G, says rural livelihoods under threat
- Sonia Gandhi accuses Modi government of bulldozing MGNREGA without consultation
- Says new VB-G RAM G law hurts farmers, labourers and the rural poor
- Congress promises grassroots protest against what it calls a “black law”
- Opposition objects to removal of Mahatma Gandhi’s name and burden on states
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 20th Dec: Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Saturday launched a sharp attack on the Modi government over the repeal of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), calling the new law a “black law” and warning of nationwide resistance by Congress workers.
In a video message, Gandhi alleged that the Centre had “bulldozed” MGNREGA, weakening a scheme that protected the livelihoods of crores of farmers, labourers and landless people. She said the move marked an assault on rural India and accused the government of ignoring the interests of the poor over the last 11 years.
Recalling the passage of MGNREGA nearly two decades ago under then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Gandhi described it as a revolutionary step that checked distress migration, provided a legal right to employment and strengthened gram panchayats. She said the scheme embodied Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of Gram Swaraj.
“It is deeply regrettable that the government has removed Mahatma Gandhi’s name and altered the structure of MGNREGA without discussion or consultation,” she said, alleging that decisions under the new law would now be taken in Delhi, disconnected from grassroots realities.
Parliament recently passed the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin), or VB-G RAM G Bill, which replaces MGNREGA and promises 125 days of rural wage employment annually. The Bill was passed amid strong Opposition protests over funding structure and centralisation.
Defending the legislation, Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said it was intended to correct shortcomings in the old scheme. The Opposition, however, maintains that the new law undermines states’ finances and dilutes employment guarantees, and has vowed to take the fight to the grassroots.
