Kharge slams Centre over hurried changes in VB-G RAM G Act, opposes SHANTI Bill

All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday criticised the Union government for rushing through changes to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and, in its stead, bringing in the VB-G RAM G Act, saying that the amendments will have serious consequences for the rural poor

Addressing presspersons at his residence in Kalaburagi, Mr. Kharge said that the proposed changes should have been subjected to detailed discussion and scrutiny.

Instead, the Centre has hurriedly replaced MGNREGA with a differently named scheme, he said.

Questioning the rationale behind renaming the MGNREGA scheme as VB-G RAM G Bill 2025 (the Bill has since received the Presidential assent to become an Act), Mr. Kharge asked what the Modi-led government hopes to achieve by merely changing the scheme’s name while weakening the guarantees provided in MGNREGA.

“Earlier, workers were guaranteed employment and timely wages. Today, their basic right has been taken away by the Union government,” he said.

Referring to the VB-G RAM G Act, he said that the government has effectively diluted the Right to Work.

“The Central government itself admits that there will be at least 60 days with no work. What are the poor supposed to do during that period? This is nothing but an attack on their livelihoods,” he said.

Mr. Kharge pointed out that MGNREGA acted as a lifeline for millions during the COVID-19 pandemic and had earned global recognition.

He questioned the removal of Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the scheme. “What was wrong with MGNREGA that helped the poor survive an unprecedented crisis?” he asked.

The veteran leader accused the BJP-led Central government of first opposing welfare schemes launched during the UPA government era and later reintroducing them by merely changing their names.

Stating that the Centre lacks long-term vision and is acting against Constitutional principles, Mr. Kharge said that the Central government is systematically dismantling social security measures and pushing privatization across sectors.

Mr. Kharge also condemned the Union government for replacing the Atomic Energy Act with the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill 2025.

He said that the Bill will weaken public oversight and promote privatisation. The Congress will oppose the SHANTI Bill both inside and outside Parliament by intensifying agitation across the nation.