Congress to hold nationwide protest against Centre on Dec 17; Tharoor takes dig at move to rename MGNREGA as VB-G RAMG Bill

The Indian National Congress has announced a series of nationwide protests on December 17 in response to the Central government's move to rename the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), accusing the BJP and RSS of attempting to "dismantle rights-based welfare" and replace it with charity controlled from the Centre.

Earlier, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday criticised the BJP-led Centre while opposing the VB-G RAM G Bill in the Lok Sabha, and recalled the 1971 hit Bollywood number, "Dekho o deewano (tum) ye kaam na karo, Ram ka naam badnaam na karo". Tharoor said the proposed legislation goes beyond a routine administrative change, describing it as an “attack on the core spirit and philosophical foundations” of a vital welfare scheme.

The Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025, which aims to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), was tabled in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday. Opposition took a sharp dip and protested over the omission of Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the law.

Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan stated while introducing the bill that the Centre not only believes in Gandhi but also follows his principles. "The (Narendra) Modi government has done more for rural development than previous governments," he said, news agency PTI reported.

Tharoor stated that the VB-G RAM G Bill highlights a deeply regrettable and retrograde step for the nation and a commitment to the welfare of its most vulnerable citizens. "My first objection, as with others, is the ill-advised decision to remove the name of the Father of the Nation, for the reasons already stated, which I will not repeat. But this is not merely an administrative tweak, it is an assault on the very spirit and philosophical foundation of this crucial programme," he said.

Gandhi's vision of Ram Rajya was not political: Tharoor

The former Union minister added while asserting that Gandhi's vision of Ram Rajya was never a purely political project. He said it was a socio-economic blueprint which is entrenched in the empowerment of villages, and his unwavering faith in Gram Swaraj was part of his vision of Ram Rajya.

"The original Act, by bearing his name, acknowledged this profound connection -- that true employment guarantee and upliftment must flow from the grassroots, embodying his principle of the last person first. To remove the name of Mahatma Gandhi is to strip the bill of its moral compass and historical legitimacy," Tharoor also said.

"Then to have two languages in the title just to make the acronym G RAM G is not just a violation of Article 348, as pointed out in the previous discussion, but it also reminds me of a song from my childhood -- 'Dekho o deewano (tum) ye kaam na karo, Ram ka naam badnaam na karo'," he further added.