DMK-led alliance to hold state-wide protest against govt plans to replace MGNREGA

The Secular Progressive Alliance, led by the ruling DMK, has announced a state-wide protest on 24 December against the Centre’s newly passed Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025, which seeks to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

The alliance said beneficiaries of the existing 100-day rural employment scheme will be mobilised, alongside district secretaries, MLAs, local body representatives, and party members. Protests will be held in the state capital at 10 am, as well as at local party units across Tamil Nadu.

The coalition has demanded the withdrawal of the new bill, warning that it threatens the livelihoods of rural workers and undermines the framework of MGNREGA. “Let us raise our voices against the Union BJP government that deceives the people of Tamil Nadu and the AIADMK that supports them,” the alliance said in a statement.

On 18 December, the Tamil Nadu government formally expressed strong objections to the new rural employment legislation. Key concerns included the removal of Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the programme and the increased financial burden on states.

Chief Minister M K Stalin wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, warning that the proposed bill “will jeopardise the livelihoods of crores of rural poor, particularly in performing states like Tamil Nadu, and strain inter-governmental relations.”

The 24 December protest marks the latest effort by the alliance to push back against central legislation perceived as threatening both rural employment security and state fiscal autonomy.

With PTI inputs