A sharp political confrontation has erupted in Punjab over the central government's proposed overhaul of the rural jobs scheme, with state BJP president Sunil Jakhar launching a counterattack on Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's plan to convene a special assembly session against the move.
Jakhar Questions Punjab's MGNREGS Performance
Responding to CM Mann's announcement on Friday that a special session of the Punjab Legislative Assembly would be held next month to oppose the VB-G RAM G Bill, Jakhar shifted focus to the state's own implementation of the existing Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). He demanded that the Chief Minister first explain the state's poor track record in providing guaranteed work.
"Before calling a special session, the Punjab CM must explain why the state government has not been able to provide 100 days of work per household per year so far, even before any such Bill was passed," Jakhar stated. He cited official data from the MGNREGS portal to bolster his argument.
What the Data Reveals
Jakhar pointed out that in the current financial year up to mid-December, Punjab has provided an average of only 26.52 days of work per household. The previous year (2024-25) saw an average of 37.63 days. "At that time, there was no such Bill. Then who was stopping the Punjab government from providing work to labourers?" he questioned.
The data further reveals a declining trend in households completing the full 100 days of work. Only 3,669 households achieved this in the current fiscal till mid-December, a sharp drop from 13,049 in 2024-25 and 24,053 in 2021-22. The total number of households receiving any employment has also dipped to around 7.46 lakh this year from higher figures in preceding years.
Corruption Allegations Take Center Stage
Downplaying the controversy around renaming the scheme from MGNREGS to Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Aajeevika Mission–Gramin (VB-G RAM G), Jakhar asserted that corruption, not nomenclature, should be the real issue. "Associating Mahatma Gandhi’s name with a scheme or not should not be made a bigger issue," he said, quoting Shakespeare.
He referenced Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's recent visit to Punjab, where MGNREGA workers in Jalandhar allegedly raised complaints of corruption, prompting a central inquiry. "Denying benefits to the poor is a sin. When corruption complaints were coming up, why was the state silent?" Jakhar asked, listing complaints from districts like Muktsar, Bathinda, and Fazilka about contractors getting work while registered workers remained idle.
Financial Concerns and Political Sparring
Jakhar also addressed concerns about the VB-G RAM G proposal to reduce the Centre's funding share from about 90% to 60%, with states bearing 40% of the cost. While acknowledging Punjab's strained finances, he argued the state has resources if priorities are set right. "If crores can be spent on self-promotion, there is no excuse for not helping the poor and deserving," he remarked.
Targeting the rationale for the special session, he questioned why a similar session wasn't being convened to discuss Punjab's law and order situation.
Defending his move, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann posted on X that the BJP-led Centre was "pushing poor families towards hunger" by changing MGNREGA. He announced the special session for the second week of January to "raise the voice of Punjabis strongly against this high-handedness." Meanwhile, labour unions and the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) have also demanded the repeal of the VB-G RAM G Bill, fearing reduced central funding and diluted workers' rights.
