VB-G-RAM-G Bill passed in Lok Sabha: Opposition says ‘worst day for India’, BJP calls it ‘victory of Hey Ram’

The controversial VB G-RAM-G Bill that seeks to replace the existing UPA-era rural employment scheme named after the father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi, was passed by the Lok Sabha on Thursday, prompting widespread criticism from Opposition parties.

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said that her party will protest against the VB-G-RAM-G Bill, claiming it will end the MGNREGA scheme in the coming months.

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Calling the bill anti-poor, Priyanka said, “The moment the burden shifts to the states, this scheme will gradually end.”

Congress MP Rajeev Shukla echoed Priyanka, saying the new bill will put a burden on the states. “They just change the names of the older schemes. Under MGNREGA, the States will now have to contribute more to the scheme. They have put more burden on the state. They have amended the scheme and destroyed it.”

Another Congress MP Karti Chidambaram called the passing of the VB G-RAM-G bill a “tragic day” for the country.

He said, “The MGNREGA was a program on which many people depended for their livelihood. This is a revisionist government which wants to remove the memory of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, by coming up with a bizarre name, VB G RAM G. They are not only revisionist but also anti-poor and anti-marginalised. We will take this message to the people of India.”

Congress lawmaker KC Venugopal said that removing the name of Mahatma Gandhi is an insult to him and the country. He claimed the government has withdrawn the workers’ rights in the new bill.

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“Mahatma Gandhi NREGA scheme is one of the biggest employment-generating programs in the country which was given by UPA govt…With this new bill, workers’ rights will be withdrawn. Removing Mahatma Gandhi’s name is an insult to him and the nation,” he added.

BJP leaders hail G-RAM-G Bill as a victory of Mahatma Gandhi’s “Hey Ram”

While the Opposition Congress leaders vehemently opposed the bill, the members of the ruling alliance, including the BJP, hailed it as a victory of “Hey Ram”, the last words of Mahatma Gandhi.

“‘Hey Ram’ were the words of Mahatma Gandhi. We too kept those words alive, we kept alive the sentiments and ideas of Mahatma Gandhi. I congratulate PM Modi and the BJP Government. This is the victory of ‘Hey Ram’. Jai Sri Ram,” BJP MP Ravi Kishan said.

BJP’s Muslim face, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, said that the Congress is opposing the bill because the party wants itself to be associated with all the schemes.

“Congress wants its name to be associated with all the schemes in the country. They also have a problem with the name Ram. They are just misleading people, and it will serve them no purpose…,” he said.

Union Minister Chirag Paswan contended that the G-Ram-G scheme will strengthen the villages of the country. He said the idea is to empower the poor and to minimise the distance between villages and cities.

“Mahatma Gandhi had said that India’s soul lives in villages. With the idea of strengthening those villages, this scheme has been brought. I think that the role that the Opposition played in the passing of this Bill is shameful. The oldest party of the country trampled on old traditions; it can never be accepted,” Paswan said.

He also slammed the Congress for allegedly creating a ruckus in the House when the bill was passed. “Do oppose, you have the right to do so. But if you want to further your mindset by demolishing decorum…Congress MPs stood before the Chair and shredded decorum. If you present your ideas like that, it is not in line with traditions, and this will never be accepted…,” he added.