VB-G RAM G bill weakens job guarantee, claims DMK

Tamil Nadu’s ruling DMK on Saturday mounted a sharp attack on the BJP-led Union government over the newly passed Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, warning that the legislation contains provisions that could allow the rural employment guarantee scheme to be halted at any time by citing “selective data”.

The DMK said the controversy over dropping Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the scheme was not the core issue, asserting that the new law fundamentally weakens the very objective of guaranteed employment.

In an editorial published on December 20, 2025, the party’s official organ Murasoli said the removal of Gandhi’s name was unlikely to affect his legacy, but had instead diverted attention from what it described as serious flaws in the legislation. “The real issue is that the purpose of the employment guarantee scheme has been defeated,” the editorial said.

The ruling party listed 10 reasons for opposing the new rural employment law, also rejecting the name “G Ram G” as cumbersome and difficult to pronounce.

The VB-G RAM G Bill, which replaces the 20-year-old Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), promises 125 days of rural wage employment annually and has been passed by both Houses of Parliament.

However, the DMK claimed that the guarantee was illusory. It objected to the 60:40 cost-sharing formula between the Centre and states, calling it a “loot” of state finances. “Though they claim to provide work for 125 days, it will not happen for sure,” Murasoli said.

The editorial pointed to a provision requiring states to notify up to 60 days in a financial year—covering peak sowing and harvesting seasons during which no work can be undertaken under the scheme. This, it said, would severely impact rural residents not engaged in agriculture.

The DMK also expressed concern over the use of the Centre’s Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) to identify beneficiaries, warning that states like Tamil Nadu, which have made progress in poverty reduction, could lose coverage. The scheme itself could be discontinued, the party alleged, by claiming poverty elimination based on “some data”.

Under the earlier law, employment was a statutory right, while the new Bill provides jobs only “if available”, the DMK noted. It also highlighted the absence of any provision for compensation if work is not provided unlike under MGNREGA.

The party further alleged that the Bill undermines federalism and state autonomy, as it empowers the Centre to decide the number and nature of jobs for each state. Such clauses, it claimed, could be used to discriminate against non-BJP-ruled states.

Targeting AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, Murasoli criticised him for focusing solely on restoring Mahatma Gandhi’s name to the scheme. “Does Palaniswami accept all other changes to the scheme?” the editorial asked.

The DMK daily accused the former Chief Minister of repeating what it called a pattern of misleading the public, citing his past positions on the Citizenship Amendment Act and the now-repealed three farm laws.

Parliament on Thursday passed the VB-G RAM G Bill, formally replacing MGNREGA and pledging 125 days of rural employment annually under the new framework.