In a hard-hitting column published in a leading English daily, the Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of not wanting to raise labourers' incomes. She claimed the new legislation effectively ends the demand-driven guarantee of work, caps funding, and weakens workers' bargaining power at a time when agricultural employment is rising.
President Droupadi Murmu gave assent to the Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Act on December 21, formally replacing the 20-year-old MGNREGA. The new law, passed by Parliament amid fierce opposition protests, extends the statutory employment guarantee from 100 to 125 days per rural household annually.
Gandhi argued that the shift to bureaucratic control and fixed budgets undermines the original scheme's rights-based approach, inspired by the Constitution's directive on the right to work. "The all-year guarantee of employment has been finished off," she wrote, adding that states now face heavier financial burdens, making the promised 125 days illusory.
She alleged the changes would suppress rural wage growth, erode landless labourers' leverage, and form part of a broader assault on constitutional protections, including food security and land rights.
The bill was introduced by Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan during the winter session, clearing Lok Sabha on December 16 and Rajya Sabha on December 18 after heated debates lasting over 14 hours. Opposition MPs, including from Congress and TMC, staged marches and overnight protests in Parliament, decrying the removal of Mahatma Gandhi's name and centralisation of power.
Government sources defend the overhaul as a modernisation aligned with Viksit Bharat 2047 goals, emphasising durable asset creation in water security, infrastructure, and climate resilience. They insist it strengthens livelihood security while addressing MGNREGA's structural flaws.
Critics, however, fear restricted access and reduced workdays in practice, potentially pushing more rural families into distress migration.
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