Opposition MPs Rally in Parliament Against Controversial G RAM G Bill

Protest March Inside Parliament

New Delhi: A group of opposition Members of Parliament staged a protest march within the Parliament House complex on Thursday, holding images of Mahatma Gandhi and calling for the withdrawal of the G RAM G bill.

Carrying a large banner that read 'Mahatma Gandhi NREGA', the MPs marched from the Gandhi statue at Prerna Sthal to Makar Dwar, chanting slogans against the government.

Prominent figures in the protest included Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, AICC general secretary K C Venugopal, DMK's K Kanhimozhi, TR Ballu, A Raja, IUML's ET Mohammed Basheer, Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Arvind Sawant, and RSP's N K Premchandran.

Venugopal expressed that the current situation in Parliament signifies a 'murder of democracy', criticizing the removal of Mahatma Gandhi's name from NREGA as an attack on democratic values and the ideology of the Father of the Nation.

Senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi also joined the protesting MPs at Makar Dwar.

The VB-G RAM G Bill, which aims to replace the UPA-era MGNREGA, is currently under discussion in Parliament.

The opposition has vehemently opposed this bill, accusing the government of disrespecting Mahatma Gandhi and undermining the provisions of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act of 2005.

The proposed legislation promises a statutory guarantee of 125 days of wage employment per financial year for every rural household whose adult members are willing to engage in unskilled manual labor.

States will be required to create a scheme aligned with the new law within six months of the VB-G RAM G Act's commencement.