Bihar BJP president Sanjay Saraogi
By Neeraj Kumar
Patna: Ever since the Centre introduced the VB-G RAM G Bill in the Lok Sabha to replace MGNREGA, the Opposition has been opposing it, accusing the Modi government of changing the name of a scheme associated with Mahatma Gandhi. However, the Bihar NDA has shown no signs of retreat. In Bihar, all ruling alliance parties displayed unity in support of the act and accused the Opposition of spreading confusion.
The Bihar NDA jointly addressed a press conference in Patna to highlight the benefits of the act. BJP state president Sanjay Saraogi said the law brought by the Narendra Modi government was in the interest of villages and labourers, but the Opposition was irked merely because the name included “Ram G”.
He said the act contains the word “Ram”, and that seemed to trouble the Opposition even when it referred to Lord Shri Ram. “This act has been brought to strengthen the rural system, empower poor farmers and labourers, and create more avenues of employment. We welcome it,” he said.
JD(U) state president Umesh Kushwaha alleged that the Opposition was indulging in misinformation, while the ‘G RAM G’ scheme would provide employment for a longer duration. He pointed out that while the earlier law guaranteed 100 days of work, the new legislation assures 125 days of employment. He said the law would bring transparency and benefit workers, but the Opposition was needlessly misleading the public.
Rejecting claims that the right to employment was being curtailed, NDA leaders termed the allegations baseless and completely misleading. They said that under MGNREGA, employment was guaranteed for 100 days, whereas under the VB–G RAM G Act, workers would be assured 125 days of work annually, making it clearly pro-labour.
Present at the press conference, LJP (Ram Vilas) state president Raju Tiwari said former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had once remarked that only ₹10 out of every ₹100 sent by the Centre reached the poor. He alleged that MGNREGA too was plagued by corruption, which would be curbed under the new law. For this, he said, Prime Minister Narendra Modi deserved congratulations.
The rural employment law was passed in the Lok Sabha on December 18, 2025. The Bill is titled Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin),
abbreviated as VB–G RAM G, and proposes to do away with the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). The Congress and other Opposition parties are opposing the move. MGNREGA was introduced in 2005 by the Congress-led UPA government.
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