December 18, 2025
Dola Sen’s speech on The Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin): VB – G RAM G (विकवित भारत – जी राम जी) Bill, 2025
Sir, What was the name! MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act), meaning the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee law. In short, a guarantee of at least 100 days of work and income in a year. What has the name become now? Viksit Bharat Rural Employment and Livelihood Mission Guarantee Bill, VB G RAM G.” Even at the moment of his death, only one word came from his mouth-“Hey Ram!” During the Swachh Bharat campaign, they replaced Mahatma Gandhi with only his spectacles. Now, they are removing Mahatma Gandhi entirely, spectacles and all. The VB G RAM G scheme is the same. Now, along with removing Mahatma Gandhi’s name, the scheme has been downsized; eventually, the entire scheme will be abolished, that is the direction they are moving in. We are grateful to our respected leader, the Chief Minister of Bengal, Ms. Mamata Banerjee. Just today, at the Business Conclave in Kolkata, she said that as a citizen of this country, she is ashamed. We are all ashamed, Sir. Furthermore, she stated that in our state of Bengal, the “Karmashree” project, which guarantees 50 days of work per year, has been launched entirely by the State Government; she will change its name to “Mahatmasree. Of course, it is not just Gandhi ji; the Modi camp even removed the name of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel from the Ahmedabad stadium to put their own names. In reality, they always want to remove those who were freedom fighters and those who contributed to the country, whether it is Vallabhbhai Patel or Gandhi ji. Moreover, it was the pride of our nation, the world-poet Rabindranath Tagore, who gave Mahatma Gandhi the title of “Mahatma.” By removing Mahatma Gandhi’s name, the Modi camp has also insulted the great poet Rabindranath Tagore. In this new Bill that is to become law, they say that instead of 100 days, 125 days of work guarantee will be provided, and up to 150 days in tribal (ST) or drought-affected areas. Hearing this, it sounds like “Ah, these are the Achhe Din (good days), this is Atmanirbhar Bharat (Selfreliant India), this is Viksit Bharat (Developed India)!” But what is the reality behind this? Until now, the Union Government paid 90% to 100% of the wage costs for the 100 days of work. Now, the States will have to pay 40%. And in Northeast India and hilly regions, the State Government will have to pay 10%. Yet, the Central Government will allocate funds for the States based on its own yardsticks. Previously, State Governments would send the labour numbers and budgets to the Centre based on their own planning and estimated work demand, and the Centre would provide funds accordingly. Now, “Ram” will run in reverse, a Bengali proverb, meaning that it will be top-down. We have said before that if the funding is 60%-40%, then, the project should be called “Pradhan Mantri Mukhyomontri Prokolpo” (PMCM Project) or “Central-State Scheme.” Forget the Chief Minister or the State, even Mahatma Gandhi is excluded, but the State must provide 40% of the money! What kind of democracy, what kind of federalism is this? Our pending dues of ₹52,000 crore for Bengal, which have been owed for four or five years, are not being paid despite the High Court and Supreme Court’s orders. This is the “Modi hai to mumkinhai” Government. How wonderful! What joy! ‘I don’t follow the High Court, I don’t follow the Supreme Court, I don’t even follow Mahatma Gandhi.’ Sir, during the farming season, this fund allocation will be stopped so that there is no shortage of agricultural labour. Truly, in such a large country of 1.5 billion people, what jobs we have! There is no employment, truly it is unbearable. Earlier, the Prime Minister ridiculed MGNREGA saying it was just about digging dirt. Now, the Modi camp has decided they won’t even keep this “unnecessary” dirt-digging work anymore. Victory to the Treasury bench, victory to the Union Government! Sir, this law was created for the Right to Life and the Right to Livelihood. Now, there is neither protection of life and livelihood nor any accountability toward social justice. I would like to say that the Parliament cannot repeal a right-based welfare law and replace it with an Executivecontrolled scheme while retaining the language of guarantee. This Bill, unfortunately, converts a constitutional promise into a conditional right revocable at the discretion of the Union Government. Previously under the MGNREGA scheme, anyone without work could demand work for at least 100 days a year. Every year, 5 crore citizens received this work without any conditions. Now, by ending that and bringing in this new V BG RAM G, the Union Government alone will decide which State will have this work, where it won’t happen, and which areas of a state will be excluded. The “Honourable ones” will decide which 60 days of the year, work cannot be given due to rain or other reasons. And if a poor State cannot provide the 40% share, democracy stops, work stops, and poor people won’t get that work. The Modi camp is going to kill MGNREGA. We demand that this Bill be sent to a Select Committee. Otherwise, the people of this country will not allow it to be implemented; they will not, they will not, they will not. We believe that if the farmers, agricultural labourers, and sharecroppers of this country fight unitedly, then, just like the Farm Bills, the Modi camp will be forced to revoke this law as well. After wasting three weeks, in the final three days, they are bringing 100% FDI in the insurance sector and blatant privatization in the nuclear energy sector, this is very unfortunate. It is alarming for the country and condemnable. Before this, they privatized 74% in key sectors like defence. All Central PSUs are being privatized. The Old Pension Scheme is stopped. Nothing is in the hands of the Government; everything is in private hands. Now, even the work for those who cannot afford to eat is being stopped. By passing Bills in the middle of the night and the early hours of the morning, they are reaching the pinnacle of. In the morning, poor working people will wake up and find that their right to work has vanished. They will not forgive you.
