Activists, Lawmakers Hold Symbolic Demonstration Against VB-G RAM G Bill in Delhi
19 Dec 2025 7:31 PM IST19 Dec 2025 7:31 PM IST
The activist said some morcha members even received letters from police warning of legal action if they held a demonstration.
Opposition MPs hold a protest against the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill that seeks to replace the existing MGNREGA at the Winter session of Parliament, in New Delhi, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (PTI Photo/Ravi Choudhary)
New Delhi: Legislators and activists staged a symbolic protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar after Parliament passed the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill by repealing the UPA-era Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act on Friday.
Activists Jean Derez, Rajendran Narayanan, Mukesh and others were joined by MPs Sasikanth Senthil of Congress, S Murasoli and Thanga Tamil Selvan of DMK, Bikash Bhattacharya of CPI(M), and Raja Ram Singh of CPI(ML) Liberation.
Meanwhile, NREGA Sangharsh Morcha, coalition of organisations working with rural labourers, said they were denied permission for the protest and were informed that a request for demonstration has to be given 10 days in advance.
"It took three days for the Bill to be passed. But to protest, we need to give a 10-day notice," said an activist, who wished not to be named.
The activist said some morcha members even received letters from police warning of legal action if they held a demonstration.
On Friday, the protesters were initially stopped by police, but allowed to hold a brief protest later.
Activist Jean Derez called out the process followed while passing the VB-G RAM G Bill, unlike that of MGNREGA, which was brought out after widespread consultations.
"This is a 'bulldozer bill', to the extent that it is repealing not only NREGA but also all the orders and notifications built under NREGA in one go," Derez told PTI.
"It is a 'bulldozer bill', also in the sense that it has been passed without discussion or even a notification to MPs. This is in stark contrast to the process through which NREGA has been brought in in 2004-05, when there were extensive consultations for a whole year among public, worker organisations, national advisory council, PMO, Parliament, standing committee that was incidentally chaired by BJP MP Kalyan Singh," he said.
"For one year, there were a lot of consultations and revisions of the initial draft, both inside and outside Parliament. It was a very extensive consultation process. Today's passing of VB-G RAM G Bill was the exact opposite," Derez added.
Congress MP Sasikanth Senthil criticised the denial of permission for the protest.
"This is a gross violation of democratic rights of the people. Especially in such a serious statute, which affects people en-masse," he said.
"People don't have any voice to even raise their concerns in a public place. This is very very shameful and atrocious," he said.
Senthil slammed the manner in which the Bill was passed.
"The way it was passed in Parliament was also very reflective of the way the government wanted to pass it. The government pitching it as a name change is absolutely false and cosmetic. The increase of man-days to 125 is also a diversion tactic," he said.
The Congress MP said the new law will take landless labourers back to the doorsteps of landowners, and take away their bargaining power by stopping work during peak agricultural season.
CPI(M) MP Bikash Bhattacharya said the right to work has been taken away.
"MGNREGA was a demand-driven scheme, a unique Parliamentary law that gave the right to work. That right has been taken away. They want rural people to be at the mercy of bureaucrats," he said.
On Friday, All India Kisan Sabha gave a call to its village units to burn copies of the VB-G RAM G Bill, and protests are being held at local level in different parts of the country.
The Left parties have also called for an All India Protest on December 22.
The VB-G RAM G Bill, 2025, which was passed by Parliament past midnight on Thursday, seeks to replace the existing rural employment law MGNREGA amid opposition protests. It provides for 125 days of work and talks about establishing a rural development framework aligned with the national vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.
( Source : PTI )
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