MP Randeep Singh Surjewala slams BJP over renaming MGNREGA

The Congress General Secretary and Member of Parliament Randeep Singh Surjewala on Sunday launched a sharp attack on the BJP-led Central government, alleging that the newly enacted Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025 (VB-G RAM G Act), is a “daylight murder” of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

While interacting with mediapersons in Kaithal city, Surjewala said the new law is a direct attack on the employment rights of crores of poor and rural workers. He alleged that the Modi government has attacked MGNREGA to snatch away the poor’s right to work and livelihood.

Calling it a “loot of employment,” he said the law weakens the constitutional spirit of social justice and disproportionately affects SC, ST and OBC MGNREGA workers.

Surjewala alleged that under the new law, the Centre has reduced its responsibility by limiting its contribution to 60 per cent of wages, shifting the remaining 40 per cent burden to cash-strapped state governments. He further claimed that the demand-driven nature of MGNREGA has been abolished, with the Centre now deciding where, when and how much work will be provided, stripping workers of their right to demand employment.

He also accused the government of ending the guaranteed 100 days of work, converting employment from a legal right into a discretionary scheme. Surjewala criticised provisions that restrict work for 60 days during sowing and harvesting seasons, warning this would severely harm migrant and landless labourers across different agricultural regions.

Surjewala further alleged that powers of gram panchayats have been curtailed, digital requirements like biometric attendance and geo-tagging monitoring will exclude illiterate workers and wage protections linked to minimum wages have been diluted, paving the way for exploitation.