In a significant political move, the Punjab Legislative Assembly on Tuesday passed a unanimous resolution strongly condemning the central government's Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, commonly known as the VB-G RAM G Act. The resolution demanded the immediate restoration of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) to its original, rights-based form.
A Unanimous Stand Against the New Job Law
The resolution, tabled by Cabinet Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond, was passed with overwhelming support. Notably, the two BJP members were absent from the House during the vote. The resolution accused the BJP-led central government of dismantling a crucial social safety net, stating it had “taken away the right to guaranteed employment” from millions of poor labourers, women, and job card-holding families across the country.
Minister Sond argued that the VB-G RAM G Act would severely impact below-poverty-line families, Scheduled Caste communities, and rural labourers who depend on MGNREGA wages for survival. He alleged the Centre's intent was to “finish” the landmark scheme, which he described as a lifeline for the rural poor.
Chief Minister's Sharp Critique
Participating in the debate, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann launched a scathing attack on the new legislation. He termed the VB-G RAM G Act as “anti-poor, anti-Dalit, anti-farmer, anti-labourer, anti-women and capable of dousing the kitchen fire of the poor.”
Mann mocked the name of the new scheme, questioning its utility for people struggling to meet basic needs. “What would the people do with it when their kitchen fire will not burn?” he asked. He warned that if the Centre failed to resume MGNREGA in its entirety, the people of Punjab would not allow BJP leaders to enter their villages.
The Chief Minister also linked the issue to the farmers' demand for a legal guarantee on Minimum Support Price (MSP), stating that instead of granting that right, the Centre had snatched away the legal guarantee of a job from the poor.
Allegations of an Anti-Dalit Conspiracy
The resolution adopted by the House contained strong language, framing the replacement of MGNREGA as a “deliberate and dangerous conspiracy” against marginalized communities. It asserted that the move was not merely an administrative change but a “declaration of thought from an anti-Dalit perspective.”
The text of the resolution stated, “By scrapping MGNREGA, the central BJP government has taken away jobs from Dalit labourers, deprived Dalit children of education and extinguished the kitchen stoves of Dalit families.” It further claimed that a government which does so forfeits its moral right to seek votes from the Dalit community.
The House also criticized the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) for maintaining silence on the issue, suggesting their quiet was politically motivated by hopes of a future alliance with the BJP.
The BJP's Counter and Government's Rebuttal
BJP member Ashwani Sharma, participating in the debate, countered the state government's narrative. He accused the AAP government of evading its responsibilities and spreading lies. Sharma presented data claiming that in the current year, Punjab had provided an average of only 26 days of employment under MGNREGA against the guarantee of 100 days.
He questioned why the state government had not taken action against officers for failing to provide work within 15 days or pay unemployment allowances as mandated by the old Act. Sharma also alleged that the Punjab government was not conducting mandatory social audits, thereby shielding corruption in the scheme's implementation.
In response, Cabinet Minister Aman Arora challenged the BJP's figures and the very foundation of the new scheme. He argued that increasing the employment days from 100 to 125 under the new law was meaningless if funds were not released by the Centre, preventing timely wage payments. “The Centre has single-handedly killed this scheme,” he declared, shifting the blame for the scheme's operational failures to the central government.
Calls for Direct Action and Constitutional Spirit
Congress legislator Pargat Singh questioned the efficacy of merely passing a resolution. He urged Chief Minister Mann and his government to go to Delhi and directly confront the central government to protect Punjab's interests, offering his party's support for such a delegation.
Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema read a poignant letter from a woman MGNREGA worker, Charanjit Kaur, highlighting the fears of rural labourers about losing access to education and medicine due to the changes. Cheema emphasized that by centralizing control and introducing complex digital systems, the Union government was eroding the guarantee of work. He concluded by stating, “The BJP is working against the spirit of the Constitution authored by Babasaheb Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.”
The resolution finally recommended that the Punjab government formally demand the central government to immediately withdraw the decision to scrap MGNREGA and fully restore the original Act to ensure guaranteed work and wages for Dalit labourers and poor families nationwide.
