MGNREGA: Opposition leaders stage overnight protest in Parliament

In a dramatic display of dissent, Opposition leaders staged a 12-hour overnight dharna at Parliament complex on Thursday, protesting the passage of the controversial VB-G RAM G Bill, which seeks to replace the long-standing MGNREGA rural employment programme. The protest, marked by fiery speeches and impassioned condemnation, signals the Opposition’s intent to escalate their resistance nationwide.

Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha deputy leader Sagarika Ghose accused the Union government of bulldozing through the bill, calling it a “blatantly anti-poor, anti-farmer, and anti-rural” measure. Ghose decried the lack of proper debate, noting that MPs were given only five hours’ notice to scrutinise the legislation. “This is an insult to India’s poor, to Mahatma Gandhi, and to Rabindranath Tagore,” she thundered, describing the overnight sit-in as a stand against what she called a “murder of democracy”.

Echoing the sentiment, Congress general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala described the day as a sorrowful milestone for India’s labour force, accusing the Modi government of undermining the livelihoods of 12 crore workers by repealing MGNREGA. “This move exposes the government’s anti-farmer, anti-poor stance,” he said, lamenting the blow to the country’s rural backbone.

Congress leader Mukul Wasnik warned of the impending collapse of the new scheme, noting the extensive consultation that shaped MGNREGA over 14 months and highlighting the excessive burden the replacement would place on states.

From the DMK, leader Tiruchi Siva decried what he called a symbolic erasure of India’s moral heritage, pointing out that the statues of Mahatma Gandhi and B.R. Ambedkar had been shifted to the far side of Parliament, hidden from view. He lamented the removal of Gandhi’s name from the scheme, emphasizing that without Gandhi, the spirit of India’s freedom and democratic ethos is diminished.

As the night wore on, the Opposition’s collective anger simmered, their 12-hour sit-in a vivid testament to their disapproval and determination. The clash over the VB-G RAM G Bill stands as the latest chapter in a fierce battle over India’s rural future, pitting government resolve against the opposition’s passionate defense of the nation’s poor.

With PTI inputs