Parliament witnessed high drama as the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Employment and Livelihood Mission (Rural) Bill, also known as the VB–G RAM G Bill, was passed within just two days amid loud protests and walkouts by the Opposition. The Bill, projected by the government as an updated version of the UPA-era MGNREGA, was cleared by the Rajya Sabha after midnight on Friday through a voice vote.
Opposition parties accused the government of rushing the legislation without proper discussion. Trinamool Congress MPs staged an overnight dharna outside Parliament, beginning around 1 am at the old Parliament’s main gate. The protest was led by senior leaders Derek O’Brien and Sagarika Ghosh and was scheduled to continue till noon.
“This protest is against the government’s bulldozing tactics,” Sagarika Ghosh said. “We received the Bill just five hours before it was passed. We were not allowed a proper debate, and this is what we are protesting against.”
The Rajya Sabha session turned chaotic as Opposition members raised slogans, tore copies of the Bill, and later walked out, demanding that the legislation be withdrawn or referred to a parliamentary committee. Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice-President C P Radhakrishnan repeatedly urged members to maintain order and expressed visible anger over the disruptions, especially after Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge exceeded his allotted speaking time.
After the Bill was passed in the early hours of Friday, Opposition MPs intensified their protest inside the Parliament complex. Ghosh described the legislation as a direct attack on the rural poor. “This is an insult to India’s poor, an insult to Mahatma Gandhi, and an insult to Rabindranath Tagore. With such short notice, how can Parliament function meaningfully?” she asked.
She added that the Opposition would hold a 12-hour dharna against what she called a “black law” that harms rural workers and the poor. “This Bill has been forced through without listening to those who represent the people most affected by it,” she said.
Congress general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala also strongly criticised the passage of the Bill, calling it a “sad day for the country’s labour force.” He alleged that the government had struck at the livelihoods of millions of rural workers by dismantling protections guaranteed under MGNREGA.
The government, however, maintained that the new law would improve employment delivery and rural livelihoods under its “Viksit Bharat” vision.
