Opposition leaders sleep outside Parliament protesting VB-G RAM G Bill
What's the story
Opposition party leaders staged an overnight dharna in the Parliament complex after the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, or VB-G RAM G Bill, was passed in the Lok Sabha on Thursday. The bill, which seeks to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), was passed by the Rajya Sabha after midnight Friday. Despite opposition demands for its withdrawal and referral to a parliamentary panel, it was cleared by a voice vote.
Protest details
Opposition accuses government of rushing bill's passage
Opposition members accused the government of pushing the bill through without sufficient debate. Many walked out of the Upper House, raised slogans against the government, and tore copies of the bill. Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha deputy leader Sagarika Ghose accused the government of "bulldozing" this legislation with just five hours' notice, calling it an insult to India's poor and Mahatma Gandhi.
Criticism voiced
Congress leaders criticize government's actions
Congress general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala called it a "sad day for the country's labor force," accusing the government of attacking livelihoods. He said, "This is perhaps the saddest day for the laborers of India... They have proved that the Modi government is anti-farmer and anti-poor." Congress leader Mukul Wasnik also criticized the bill's passage, saying MGNREGA was drafted after extensive consultations and consensus.
Symbolic comparison
DMK leader compares Gandhi's statue to bill's passage
DMK leader Tiruchi Siva drew a parallel between Mahatma Gandhi's statue placement to the back side of Parliament and the bill's passage. "Without Gandhi there is no freedom...Even in Britain parliament we are having Gandhi statue, but here in Indian parliament his statue is hidden somewhere, and now the scheme which bore his name, his name has also been removed," he claimed. The opposition plans to take their protest nationwide against what they call an "anti-poor" move by the government.