DMK warns new law replacing MGNREGA weakens guarantees and erodes federal rights

Tamil Nadu’s ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has launched a strong critique of the BJP-led Union government over the newly enacted Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, arguing that it undermines the core promise of rural employment and weakens India’s federal structure.

In an editorial published in its party mouthpiece Murasoli, the DMK said the debate over dropping Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the scheme masked more serious concerns embedded in the legislation. The party claimed the new law compromises the principle of assured rural employment and grants the Centre wide discretion to suspend or restrict the programme.

The editorial argued that the government’s assurance of providing up to 125 days of work was legally fragile, as provisions in the Bill allow the Centre to stall or limit implementation.

It also criticised the revised cost-sharing formula, under which states would bear 40 per cent of the expenditure, calling it an excessive financial burden imposed by the Union government.

Another provision flagged by the DMK bars job generation during peak agricultural seasons. The party said this would adversely affect thousands of rural workers who do not own land or are not engaged in farming but depend on wage employment during those periods.

The party also raised objections to the proposed use of the Centre’s Multidimensional Poverty Index to identify beneficiaries. According to the editorial, states such as Tamil Nadu, which have achieved measurable reductions in poverty, risk losing access to rural job allocations if official data suggests poverty has been “eliminated”.

Drawing a contrast with the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), the DMK said the earlier law provided a statutory right to work, while the new Bill offers employment only “subject to availability”. This, it argued, marks a shift away from a rights-based framework to a discretionary welfare model.

The editorial further criticised clauses empowering the Centre to fix job quotas for individual states, describing them as an attack on federal autonomy that could be used to disadvantage states not ruled by the BJP.

The DMK also took aim at Edappadi K Palaniswami, accusing the AIADMK leader of focusing narrowly on restoring Mahatma Gandhi’s name while remaining silent on what it described as far-reaching policy changes. The party questioned his consistency, alleging he had previously misled the public on issues such as the Citizenship Amendment Act and the now-repealed farm laws.

Parliament passed the VB-G RAM-G Bill earlier this week, replacing the two-decade-old MGNREGA framework. While the Centre maintains that the new law broadens employment opportunities and improves efficiency, the DMK insists it risks diluting rural job guarantees and curtailing the powers of states.

With IANS inputs