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Congress MP Manickam Tagore on Thursday launched a blistering attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB--G RAM G) Bill, 2025, accusing the government of systematically erasing Mahatma Gandhi's legacy by repealing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
In a post on X, Manickam Tagore wrote, "Godse assassinated Mahatma Gandhi. Modi is erasing Mahatma Gandhi's name. One pulled the trigger. The other is removing his legacy--quietly, systematically, through Bills and policies. India is watching. History will judge." https://x.com/manickamtagore/status/2001456328221561220?s=20 The Lok Sabha on Wednesday saw a nearly 14-hour debate over the VB-G RAM G Bill, with the Opposition demanding that the proposed legislation be referred to the Standing Committee, even as the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) strongly defended the Bill, terming it a decisive step towards achieving a Viksit Bharat by 2047. Several Congress MPs strongly objected to the renaming of MNREGA and changes in the funding pattern. Opposing the Bill, Congress announced a series of nationwide protests on December 17, accusing the BJP and RSS of attempting to "dismantle rights-based welfare" and replace it with charity controlled from the Centre. The party has directed its state units (Pradesh Congress Committees) to organise protests at all district headquarters. The demonstrations featured portraits of Mahatma Gandhi to symbolise resistance against the "erasure of his name and values." The Bill introduced by the Agriculture Minister in the Lok Sabha guarantees 125 days of wage employment per rural household, up from the existing 100 days, for adult members willing to undertake unskilled manual work. As per Section 22 of the Bill, the fund-sharing pattern between the Central Government and the State Governments will be 60:40, while for the North Eastern States, Himalayan States, and Union Territories (Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir), it will be 90:10. Section 6 of the Bill allows the state governments to notify in advance, a period aggregating to sixty days in a financial year, covering the peak agricultural seasons of sowing and harvesting, when no work will be commenced or executed under the Bill. (ANI)
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