As Parliament passes VB-G RAM G Bill, replaces MGNREGA, is it the end of a Congress legacy or start of a new campaign?
While BJP claims the Bill has struck at the root of UPA by replacing its key legislation MGNREGA, Congress sees an opportunity ahead of crucial state elections
Congress MPs Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and K.C. Venugopal along with other opposition MPs participate in a protest march against the VB-G RAM G Bill, introduced by the union government to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), 2005, during the Winter session of Parliament (PTI Photo) 
THE passing of the VB-G RAM G Bill in Parliament Thursday has given political ammunition not just to the ruling BJP but also the Opposition Congress, which has planned massive protests across the country against the “government’s attempt to finish off the rural job guarantee scheme completely”.
While BJP leaders claim the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill has struck at the root of the UPA by replacing one of its premier legislation MGNREGA, which had earned the Congress extensive political capital, the Opposition party foresees a political opportunity, which, according to some of its members, could be a more effective issue than the “vote chori” campaign in the upcoming Assembly elections in four states.
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, in his speech in the Lok Sabha, targeted the Congress and the Gandhis, pitching the VB-G RAM G Bill as the BJP’s grand idea to empower the poor with a more effective, corruption-free job guarantee scheme.
The Opposition protested aggressively against “diluting” the scheme and “removing” Mahatma Gandhi’s name from it. Congress MPs trooped into the well of the House, tore the Bill and other business papers and flung them in the air, creating chaotic scenes in the Lok Sabha.
The Congress and its allies have announced massive protests across the country against the proposed legislation. Speaking to reporters outside the House, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said: “Anyone who reads the (VB- G RAM G) Bill carefully would know… this scheme will slowly be finished off because the state governments do not have enough money, especially the states that need this scheme the most.”
The Congress Working Committee (CWC) is meeting on December 27 to chalk out an extensive protest plan against the government’s move.
Amidst the ruckus in the Lok Sabha, a scheduled discussion on air pollution in Delhi-NCR could not take place, with the Opposition alleging that the Treasury benches did not have the “intent” to discuss the issue. The government said it was ready to take up the discussion, listed to be initiated by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, but could not go ahead amid the pandemonium created by the Opposition.
Some Opposition leaders admitted that they were not keen on discussing air pollution immediately after the passage of the VB-G RAM G Bill. “Air pollution is an issue primarily concerning Delhi-NCR. Had we debated it, the attention would have shifted to it, especially because leaders like Priyanka and Kanimozhi (DMK MP M Kanimozhi) were scheduled to speak on it. We did not want the MGNREGA issue to be overshadowed by anything,” said a Congress leader.
Congress whip in the Lok Sabha, Manickam Tagore, put the blame on the government. “They listed (VB-G RAM G Bill) in such a way that the air pollution debate would have come up immediately after the passage of the Bill. They were passing it without sending it to the Standing Committee. The government’s intent was not to have the discussion,” he said.
According to Tagore, the Opposition leaders have been negotiating with the government to allocate time for a discussion on air pollution since the Winter Session started on December 1.
A senior Opposition leader said, “The Opposition got a sharp weapon against the BJP. This (VB-G RAM G Bill) is an issue that would get us traction from the villages and the women. Unlike the vote chori campaign, this has a direct link to the people’s lives. We did not want it to be diluted at any cost.”
Inside the Lok Sabha, the Opposition MPs did their best to express their anguish. Three Congress MPs from Kerala — Hibi Eden, Shafi Parambil and Dean Kuriakose — climbed onto the reporters’ table in front of the Chair, shouted slogans and threw paper pieces. Speaker Om Birla warned the MPs that they “were not sent here to throw papers”. Their behaviour drew sharp criticism from Chouhan, who during a press conference at the BJP headquarters, termed it “goonda raj” and alleged that it was “murder of Bapu’s ideals”.
“Priyanka Gandhi (Vadra) was talking about removing the name of Mahatma Gandhi. They (Priyanka’s family) are not Gandhis, they stole Gandhi’s name. Priyanka Gandhi talked about ‘sanak (obsession)’ of changing names. They are the ones obsessed with names, because of that they named everything after Nehru, Indira and Rajiv. The Modi government is not obsessed with names but with work,” the minister said.
For the BJP, repealing MGNREGA without triggering any major political setbacks is a significant step in its attempts to weaken the Congress and its legacy. “It has been a scheme that had earned the Gandhis great political capital and in fact it led to the Congress surge in 2009. As political rivals, we have to see that such a scheme that has such goodwill, is improvised and has our stamp,” said a BJP MP.
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