Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday criticised the central government’s proposal to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill 2025, also known as VB-G RAM G Bill.
While speaking in the Lok Sabha against the bill, Tharoor objected to the “ill-advised decision” to drop Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the MGNREGA scheme.
“My first objection is the ill-advised decision to remove the name of the father of the nation for the reasons already given. But this isn’t merely an administrative tweak, it is an assault on the very spirit and philosophical foundation of this crucial programme,” he told the parliament.
Speaking further about Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of “Ram Rajya”, the Thiruvananthapuram MP said it was never a “purely political program" but a “socio-economic blueprint” rooted in the empowerment of villages, and his unwavering faith in Gram Swaraj was central to that vision.
“The original Act, by bearing his name, acknowledged this profound connection—that true employment guarantee and upliftment must flow from the grassroots, embodying his principle of placing the last person first. To remove the name of Mahatma Gandhi is to strip the bill of its moral compass and historical legitimacy,” he said.
Invoking the popular 1970s Kishore Kumar number ‘Ram Ka Naam Badnam Na Karo’, Tharoor objected to the inclusion of both Hindi and English in the bill, noting that the Constitution mandates the use of a single language.
Earlier, Tharoor took to X and wrote, “The controversy over renaming MGNREGA in the Govt's proposed new G-RAM-G Bill is unfortunate.”
“The concept of Gram Swaraj and the ideal of Ram Rajya were never competing forces; they were the twin pillars of Gandhiji’s consciousness. Replacing the Mahatma’s name in a scheme for the rural poor ignores this profound symbiosis. His final breath was a testament to 'Ram'; let us not dishonour his legacy by creating a division where none existed,” he said.
The Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025, that seeks to replace the existing rural employment law Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday amid strong objections from the opposition over the "removal" of Gandhi's name from it.
Introducing the bill, Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the Centre not only believes in Gandhi but also follows his principles. "The (Narendra) Modi government has done more for rural development than previous governments," he said.
Opposition members opposed the proposed legislation at the introduction stage and pressed for sending the bill to a parliamentary panel for greater scrutiny. The MPs, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra of the Congress, strongly objected to the "removal" of Gandhi's name.
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