Rahul Gandhi Warns of Nationwide Agitation Over ‘VB–G RAM G’ Bill, Calls Modi Government’s Move a Blow to Rural India

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has strongly criticized the government’s new law, ‘VB–G RAM G’, which replaces the MNREGA scheme, calling it a major conspiracy against rural India. He warned of a nationwide movement to oppose the law, describing it as a “bulldozer” that destroyed **20 years of MNREGA in a single day.”

Rights-Based Scheme Turned Ration-Controlled Program

Gandhi claimed that the new legislation is not a reform but an attack on the rights of rural workers. MNREGA, he said, was a rights-based, demand-driven program empowering rural laborers, improving wages, working conditions, and rural infrastructure, while reducing distress migration. Under VB–G RAM G, these rights are being curtailed, and the program is being centralized from Delhi, transforming it into a ration-style scheme.

Impact on Vulnerable Communities

Gandhi emphasized that the scheme particularly benefited women, Dalits, Adivasis, landless laborers, and the poorest OBC communities, who now risk exclusion under the new law. During the COVID-19 pandemic, MNREGA helped millions avoid hunger and debt, with women contributing to over half of the workdays. Gandhi warned that restricting jobs under VB–G RAM G weakens the primary livelihood tool for rural poor.

Bulldozer Allegation and Parliamentary Procedure

Referring to the manner of the bill’s passage, Gandhi said it was pushed through Parliament like a bulldozer, rejecting opposition calls for scrutiny by a standing committee. “A law rewriting the rural social contract affecting millions should never be imposed without expert consultation, public hearings, and proper investigation,” he said.

Nationwide Movement Planned

Gandhi alleged that the Modi government’s aim is to weaken labor, diminish the power of rural India, and centralize authority while portraying the move as reform. He vowed that Congress would mobilize workers, panchayats, and states to resist the law, creating a nationwide front to ensure its repeal.

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