Lok Sabha passes G Ram G Bill amid protests over MGNREGA replacement

The Lok Sabha passed the G Ram G Bill replacing MGNREGA amid loud protests by Opposition MPs, who demanded a standing committee review and accused the government of undermining rural employment

PGurus Newsdesk

December 18, 2025

Chaos erupted in the Lok Sabha as the G Ram G Bill, replacing MGNREGA, was passed despite Opposition protests over renaming

Lok Sabha passes G Ram G Bill amid protests over MGNREGA replacement

The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed the G Ram G Bill, which seeks to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), amid sharp protests by Opposition members who demanded that the legislation be referred to a standing committee.

Soon after the Bill was taken up for passage, Opposition MPs entered the Well of the House, raised slogans and tore papers in protest. Despite the uproar, the Speaker ruled that the legislation had already been discussed at length and put it to vote. The Bill was subsequently passed and will now be tabled in the Rajya Sabha.

Several Opposition leaders, including Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, DMK’s T R Baalu and Samajwadi Party’s Dharmendra Yadav, opposed the Bill during the debate. They argued that removing Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the landmark rural employment law was an insult to the Father of the Nation and warned that the proposed changes would place an additional financial burden on state governments.

Defending the Bill, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan accused the Congress of politicising names while questioning the NDA government’s intentions. Countering Priyanka Gandhi’s charge that the government had a “craze” for changing names, Chouhan said it was the Opposition that was obsessed with nomenclature, while the Modi government remained focused on governance and delivery. He alleged that MGNREGA had become a tool of corruption and said the new law had been drafted after consultations with stakeholders.

As protests intensified, several Opposition MPs tore papers inside the House, prompting Speaker Om Birla to reprimand them. “The people have not sent you here to tear paper. The nation is watching you,” he said.

After the House was adjourned, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra reiterated the Opposition’s strong resistance to the Bill, calling it “anti-poor.” “Anyone who reads the Bill will understand how the rural employment guarantee scheme is about to finish. This Bill shifts the funding burden to states that are already cash-strapped. MGNREGA is a lifeline for the poorest of the poor,” she told reporters.

Union Minister S P Singh Baghel condemned the conduct of Opposition MPs, calling the tearing of papers inside Parliament unacceptable. “There is no place for such actions in a democracy. The Bill was discussed till late at night, and such behaviour is extremely condemnable. This legislation is in the interest of the people,” he said.

Union Minister Chirag Paswan, a BJP ally, also criticised the Opposition’s conduct. “You have every right to oppose, and you were given adequate time. But throwing papers and making paper planes inside the House is not acceptable. The oldest party of the country behaving like this is unfortunate,” he said. Responding to objections over the Bill’s name, Paswan added, “Ram was Mahatma Gandhi’s favourite name. He died with ‘Hey Ram’ on his lips.”

The passage of the Bill sets the stage for another round of debate in the Rajya Sabha, where the Opposition has indicated, it will continue to oppose the legislation.

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