New Delhi: The Congress party has clarified its stance on 'VB G RAM G' and has decided to engage in a full-fledged battle with the Modi government. A Congress MP, who heads a parliamentary committee, has called a meeting on December 29th. The 'VB G RAM G' bill will be discussed at this meeting and compared with MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) from the UPA era. This move is seen as an escalation of the political battle over the newly proposed law, which has faced opposition from members of the ruling NDA.
The agenda of the Standing Committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj includes seeking information from the Ministry of Rural Development on the 'Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Employment and Livelihood Mission - Gramin (VB G RAM G) Bill'. It will also be compared with MGNREGA. The committee is chaired by Congress MP Saptagiri Shankar Ulaka.
Why is this meeting important?
This meeting is important because the bill has already been passed by Parliament and is now awaiting the President's assent. Only after receiving the President's approval will the bill become law through a gazette notification. BJP MPs on the committee are surprised that a bill recently passed by Parliament is being discussed in the committee even though it has not yet been notified as a law. BJP MP Vivek Thakur, a member of the committee, questioned this decision, saying it "seems like a hasty decision." He emphasized that the bill has not yet been notified as a law.
BJP ready to retaliate against Congress
Members of the BJP-led NDA are preparing to raise this matter with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. As it is a Lok Sabha committee, the Speaker has special powers. Another BJP member objected, stating that the committee could not discuss a bill that Parliament had already debated and passed just a few days earlier. According to him, the committee's role is only to review the implementation of the bill and make recommendations, not to discuss a bill that is still in the process of becoming law.
Congress Accused of Politicizing the Issue
BJP members believe that comparing this bill to the UPA-era scheme is a deliberate attempt to politicize the issue. Congress and other opposition parties are criticizing the new law, which will replace the one under which the rural employment guarantee scheme, named after Mahatma Gandhi, was implemented. The removal of Mahatma Gandhi's name from the scheme is a key point of contention.
Political Storm Expected to Intensify
Congress MP Saptagiri Shankar Ulaka had demanded during the Lok Sabha debate on the bill that it be sent to his committee for scrutiny. This was a common demand from the opposition parties, which the government rejected. Now, Ulaka has also written to the Lok Sabha Speaker, reiterating his demand that the bill be sent to his committee. This is not the first time that BJP members have objected to the committee's agenda. Setting the committee's agenda is usually the prerogative of the chairman. There have been previous instances where BJP members have objected to the decisions of the committee chairman.
Sonia Gandhi Slams Modi Government
Sonia Gandhi has accused the central government of trying to dismantle MGNREGA and bring in a "black law" called 'VB-G RAM G'. She said that she had fought for this law 20 years ago and is ready to fight for it again today. This statement comes a day after Rahul Gandhi's statement that the Congress government would force the government to withdraw this new law. He alleged that the BJP government has ignored the interests of the rural poor for the past 11 years. He further stated that they have now attacked the interests of crores of farmers, laborers, and landless people across the country.
