TMC 2.0 is born, but will it find a place in the Sun?
It's official now, the Trinamul Congress (TMC) party has split, with the majority of 59 out of 80 MLAs opting out of the party founded and led by Mamata Banerjee.
Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’Brien has strongly criticised the government’s handling of the debate on the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, 2025, which aims to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA).
O’Brien took to his handle on X, calling the government’s approach a “mockery of Parliament” and accusing the Modi-Shah government of disregarding rules to push through the bill. “The debate on the bill is set to begin in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday at 6:40 pm and is expected to continue until at least 2 am on Friday,” he said.
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The opposition has strongly opposed the bill, with Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge accusing the government of undermining the right to work and snatching away the rights of the poor. “This is not about renaming MGNREGA, this is about the right to work. They are snatching away the right that was given by us,” Kharge had said.
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Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor also criticised the bill, calling it an “assault on the very spirit and philosophical foundation” of MGNREGA. “To remove the name of Mahatma Gandhi is to strip the bill of its moral compass and historical significance,” Tharoor said.
The government has argued that the new bill will reduce leakage and waste, allow states to conduct better planning, and align work with farm cycles. Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said the bill aims to promote empowerment, growth, and convergence for a prosperous and resilient rural Bharat.
The Lok Sabha already passed the bill earlier in the day.
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