New Delhi, 16 December. During the winter session of Parliament, the entire opposition has expressed displeasure over the new law ‘Developed India-Ji Ram Ji Bill’ 2025, which repeals the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA). In the same sequence, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi said in the Lok Sabha that this campaign has been helpful in providing employment to rural India and enabling the rural economy for the last 20 years.
LIVE: Smt @priyankagandhi ji speaks in the Parliament.
— Congress (@INCIndia) December 16, 2025
Priyanka Gandhi said, ‘This is such a revolutionary law that, when it was made, all the parties present in the House had agreed to it. Due to this, even the poorest of the poor get 100 days of employment. On changing the name of the scheme, he said, ‘Mahatma Gandhi is not from my family, but he is like my family and this is the feeling of the entire country.’
new law Contrary to the 73rd Constitutional Amendment
Congress MP from Wayanad Priyanka further said, ‘I have objection to the new law because under MNREGA, it is mandatory to provide legal guarantees to our poor brothers and sisters and the central government allocates money as per its demand. But, in the new law, the central government can determine the budget in advance, due to which the 73rd amendment of the Constitution (Panchayati Raj) is being ignored.
He said, ‘The authority of Gram Sabhas is being weakened. The basic spirit of our Constitution is that power should be in the hands of every person. This is the basic spirit of Panchayati Raj and the new Act is opposing the same basic spirit. The legal right to employment is being weakened by this bill and it is contrary to the Constitution.
Will be a burden on the state’s economyEmployment days increased..but not salary
Priyanka Gandhi said, ’90 percent grant in MNREGA used to come from the central government and in the new bill, some states will get only 60 percent grant from the center. This will put a burden on the economy of the state. Through this bill, the control of the Center is being increased and responsibility is being reduced. The Congress leader also said that in the new law the government has increased the employment days from 100 to 125 days, but there is no talk of increasing the wages of the workers.
There is a craze in changing the names of schemes in the Modi government. Whenever the name is changed, the government’s money is spent.
This scheme is in the name of Mahatma Gandhi, he is the Father of our Nation and he should not be insulted.
⦿ When this law was made in this House, no political party expressed disagreement. Everyone’s… pic.twitter.com/hD8t7aoMZB
— Congress (@INCIndia) December 16, 2025
I don’t understand the obsession with changing the name of every scheme.
Taking aim at the government, Priyanka said, ‘The obsession with changing the name of every scheme is incomprehensible. Whenever this is done, the central government itself has to spend money. The bill should not be passed in a hurry without discussion and consultation of the House. The government should withdraw this bill and introduce a new bill.
Shashi Tharoor said – removing the name of Mahatma Gandhi is immoral
When Priyanka Gandhi vehemently opposed the new law, Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram Shashi Tharoor, who stood up to speak after her, also joined the party’s voice after a long time. He said, ‘I am against changing the name of Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi from the MNREGA scheme. I will not go into detail on those reasons because previous speakers have spoken a lot on that.
‘Look oh crazy people… don’t do this thing., don’t defame ram’s name,
Shashi Tharoor said, “I oppose the ‘Ji Ram Ji’ bill. My first complaint is that its name is being changed, which was earlier on Mahatma Gandhi. Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of Ram Rajya was not a political event but a social reform. He wanted every village to be empowered and a situation like Ram Rajya should be created. Removing his name is wrong and against morality. In my childhood, I used to sing – Dekho O Diwano, don’t do this work, don’t defame Ram’s name.”
I would like to oppose the introduction of the proposed bill, the VB–G RAM G Bill, which represents a deeply regrettable and retrograde step for our nation and for our nation’s commitment to the welfare of its most vulnerable citizens.
My first objection, as with others, is the… pic.twitter.com/oUKoGulN4L
— Congress (@INCIndia) December 16, 2025
40 It is also wrong to put percent of the budget directly in the state government’s share.
The Congress MP said that apart from this, giving 40 per cent of the budget directly to the state government is also wrong. This will create a crisis situation for those states which have less revenue collection. How will states that are already dependent on some kind of help be able to fund this scheme?
Tharoor’s stance matching the party’s stand visible after a long time
In fact, this stance of a Congress MP matching the party’s stand has been seen after a long time. He has praised PM Narendra Modi many times. Apart from this, he has been absent from three consecutive meetings of Congress. In such a situation, there have been speculations about his future. So when he stood up to speak on this in Parliament and supported the Congress, it was significant. He made it clear that he is still ideologically firm.
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