In Rajya Sabha, Opposition flags lack of consultations before tabling new rural jobs Bill

Pointing out the lack of consultation before introducing the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for the Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, the opposition parties asked the government to provide evidence of discussions with State governments before increasing their fiscal responsibilities.

They also cited three farm laws as examples, which they said were passed under similar circumstances and later withdrawn after prolonged farmers’ agitation. They said this bill would face the same fate.

Rajya Sabha started deliberations on the bill at 6.50 pm. The debate ended after midnight on Friday, December 19, 2025, when the House passed the bill by voice vote amid noisy protests.

Congress MP Mukul Wasnik launched the Opposition’s attack. Mr. Wasnik said MGNREGA was passed unanimously after going through parliamentary scrutiny and extensive consultations. “Can the government say the same thing about this law?” he asked. He said the bill was introduced just three days before the last day of the Winter Term. “Have you spoken to state governments before increasing their fiscal responsibilities? Have these been secured? And if so, can the government table these consultations in Parliament?”

RJD leader Manoj K. Jha said MGNREGA is the closest approach to the right to labor protected under Article 41 of the Constitution of India. He said that the new bill strikingly strikes the essence of this article.

While AIADMK MP M. Thambidurai appreciated the increase in working days off from 100 days to 125 days, he criticized the government for increasing the burden on State governments. If the states are to bear 40% of the cost of the programme, as stated in the new legislation, the states should also receive 100% of the taxes and other deductions collected by the Centre, he said.

Bikas Ranjan Bhattacharya of CPI(M) said the ban period introduced in the legislation will weaken the bargaining power of the rural poor and force them to work for minimum wage. Legislation allows the program to be paused during periods when agriculture is busy.