The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed the Bharat Guarantee Employment and Livelihood Mission (Rural) Bill, 2025, to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) amid heavy uproar by opposition MPs. While opposition MPs raised the issue of removing Mahatma Gandhi’s name from India’s flagship rural employment scheme, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan defended the name change of the scheme and accused the opposition of deviating from Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals.
Addressing the House, Shivraj Chauhan said, “Bapu is our ideal, our inspiration. We are committed to follow the ideals of Mahatma Gandhiji, that is why the Bharatiya Janata Party has included Gandhiji’s social and economic philosophy in its Panchnischay. The opposition is killing Bapu’s ideals. Yesterday in the House, I listened to the speeches of the honorable members till 1:30 in the night. You listen to your own words and not ours; this is also violence.”
When the Lower House was adjourned after the bill was passed, the Union Minister strongly criticized the Congress over the ruckus in Parliament and alleged tearing of a copy of the bill, saying the India Bloc MPs had undermined the integrity of democracy.
Addressing a press conference, Shivraj Chouhan criticized the behavior of India Bloc MPs during his address in the House, while he supported the bill.
He said, “The behavior of the opposition in the Lok Sabha today, including members of the Congress and the India Alliance, has tarnished the dignity of our democracy. There has been a gross violation of parliamentary decorum. Democracy has turned into a mobocracy. Yesterday there was a discussion on the VB-Ji Ram-Ji bill, which went on till 1:30 in the night. We listened to the opposition carefully. I had said that I will answer every question, but I should also be heard. But the pages were torn out.” And thrown on the tables. Is this not the murder of the ideals of Bapu (Mahatma Gandhi)?
Defending the bill, he said rural development schemes have evolved over time, and the VB-G RAM-G scheme will provide 125 days of employment guarantee compared to 100 days under MGNREGA.
Speaking on the issue of 60:40 sharing of funds between the Central and state governments, the Union Minister said that out of the total proposed Rs 1,51,282 crore, the Centre’s share is more than Rs 95,000 crore.
He said, “You have your opinion, but don’t let others speak. Is it not unethical? I condemn their actions. There have been many schemes for rural development. A scheme runs for a few days and then gets changed, like Sampoorna Gramin Rozgar Yojana, Jawahar Rozgar Yojana, and then came MNREGA. It was not named after Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, so was it an insult to him? The welfare of the poor is the resolve of the BJP, and the Prime Minister Many schemes were brought under the leadership of Narendra Modi, which is why 25 crore people have risen above the poverty line.”
The BJP leader said, “‘Vikshit Gaon’ for a diverse India is Modi ji’s resolve. Earlier there was an employment guarantee scheme of 100 days, which has been extended to 125 days, and substantial funds have been proposed for this extension, which is a total of Rs 1,51,282 crore. Of this amount, the central government’s share is more than Rs 95,000 crore.”
Union Minister Chirag Paswan also lashed out at the opposition for creating ruckus in Parliament and said that the opposition’s role in passing this bill is “shameful”. The Union Minister alleged that Congress MPs “violated decorum” by standing in front of the Speaker.
Speaking to reporters, Paswan said, “I think the role of the opposition in passing this bill is shameful. The oldest party of the country has crushed the old traditions, which can never be accepted. Protest, you have the right to do so. But if you want to push your mentality by violating decorum… Congress MPs violated decorum by standing in front of the Speaker. If you present your views like this, it is not in line with traditions, and it will never be accepted.” “Will not be done.”
BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad also criticized the opposition, saying, “How did the Congress party behave in the Lok Sabha today? The discussion went on for 10 hours till night. You got a chance to present your point, but when Shivraj Singh Chouhan came to reply, you were tearing the bills… Has the Congress party now become an anarchist party?”.
The BJP MP said “They should stop taking Gandhiji’s name. It was explained in detail that in the development of the country, be it Swachh Bharat, housing scheme for the poor, drinking water scheme, or all the schemes implemented at the grassroots level, Gandhiji resides in them. Not just in name.” Today I am deeply saddened by this conduct of the entire opposition, especially the Congress party. Don’t you trust the democratic process?”.
BJP MP Anurag Thakur, supporting the bill, said that the bill guarantees 125 days of wage employment to rural families in every financial year, which is much more than the earlier entitlement of 100 days. Thakur told reporters, “I ask the Congress that such schemes have been running since 1980. Even then the Congress did not remember Mahatma Gandhi; they remembered him in 2009. Today the poor are getting its benefits. They are getting 125 days of employment instead of 100 days, daily wages have been increased, and the Modi government has stopped the looting and embezzlement that used to happen earlier.”BJP MP Arun Govil claimed that the opposition MPs did not remember Mahatma Gandhi earlier.
He said, “The opposition created a lot of ruckus. I have never seen anything like this before in this House. This has never happened in the last one and a half years. The bill has been passed and it is a very good bill which will contribute a lot to rural development. Ever since I have come to the House, I have seen the opposition remembering Mahatma Gandhi. Earlier they had not even taken the name of Mahatma Gandhi.”
Apart from the provision of 125 days of employment guarantee, Section 22 of the Bill states that the fund-sharing pattern between the Central Government and State Governments will be 60:40, while for North Eastern States, Himalayan States and Union Territories (Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir) it will be 90:10.
Section 6 of the Bill allows state governments to notify in advance a total period of sixty days in a financial year, including the peak agricultural season of sowing and harvesting, during which no work will be undertaken or executed under the Bill. The opposition has strongly criticized the Bill over the renaming of MGNREGA and the ratio of Centre-State fund sharing.
Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said that this bill is a threat to the future of MGNREGA. Speaking to reporters, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said, “We will oppose this bill. With this bill, MGNREGA will end in the coming months. As the burden on states increases, this scheme will gradually end. This bill is against the poor.”
The Congress MP also expressed concern that the implementation of the bill would put unnecessary burden on state governments. He said, “You look at it from any angle, and any sensible person will understand, this is a clever gimmick of 100 to 125 days. If anyone reads this bill, it will be clear to him that this entire scheme will end in the coming months. Because as soon as the burden of providing such a huge amount falls on the state governments, the scheme will gradually end.” Congress MP Karti Chidambaram said that the BJP government will honor the memory of Mahatma Gandhi. Wants to erase.
Congress MP Manickam Tagore launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing the government of systematically erasing Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy by repealing MGNREGA. In a post on Is watching. History will decide it.”
Congress MP Ranjit Ranjan said, “This is very unfortunate. The entire opposition wanted the MGNREGA bill to be sent to the JPC. It is unfortunate that they have removed Mahatma Gandhi’s name from it and made such amendments that it will expire in a few years. Now the central government will give only 60 per cent of the funds. The way they have amended it, it has completely lost its significance. They got it passed in the Lok Sabha in a hurry and now this Will go to Rajya Sabha. We will try to ensure that it goes to JPC.”
The VB-G RAM-G bill also faced opposition at the state level, with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announcing that the state government’s Karmashree scheme would be named after Mahatma Gandhi in response to the law being introduced by the Center to replace MGNREGA. Speaking at a trade and industry conference held at the Dhano Dhanyo Auditorium, Mamata Banerjee described the renaming of India’s flagship rural employment scheme as “a matter of deep shame”.
“We have also started the Karmashree project as MNREGA funds have also been stopped,” he said.
I am deeply saddened by the removal of Gandhiji’s name. They are forgetting the Father of the Nation. We have decided to name our Karmashree scheme after Mahatma Gandhi. The West Bengal Chief Minister further said, “If you do not know how to respect Mahatma Gandhi, we certainly know how to respect him and others like Netaji, Rabindranath Tagore.”
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin also expressed strong objection to the Grow India-Employment and Livelihood Mission (Rural) Bill, alleging that the fund sharing arrangement in the ratio of 60:40 between the Central and State governments would impose a “huge financial burden on the states”. In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister criticized the move to increase the guaranteed employment period under MGNREGA from 100 days to 125 days per year. Welcomed, while opposed the fund-sharing model and the removal of Mahatma Gandhi’s name.
He said that these changes will change the fundamental rights-based nature of MGNREGA and make it a centrally controlled, budget-limited programme.
