Listen To This Post
Chandigarh: As Opposition voices grow louder against the replacement of MGNREGA with the VB-G RAM G scheme, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab has announced that it will convene a special session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha to oppose the Centre’s decision. Announcing the move, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said the special session would be held in the second week of January. “The BJP government at the Centre is trying to hit the livelihoods of the poor by replacing the MGNREGA scheme. Punjab will raise its voice strongly against this injustice. A special Vidhan Sabha session will be called to oppose this oppression,” Mann said.
The previous special session of the Punjab Assembly, held on November 24, was prorogued by the Governor on December 17. The sources reveal that the decision to convene the session was taken at a meeting of top AAP leaders, including national convener Arvind Kejriwal, on Thursday evening. Kejriwal is currently on a three-day visit to the state.
The Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, which replaces the 20-year-old MGNREGA, was passed by Parliament amid sustained Opposition protests. A key point of contention is the Bill’s funding structure, which requires states to share a larger financial burden — a provision that could strain cash-starved states like Punjab.
Meanwhile, resistance to the new scheme has spilt onto the streets. Various labour and farm unions have begun protests across Punjab. On Thursday, Punjab Khet Mazdoor Unions staged demonstrations in Bathinda, Moga, Muktsar, Faridkot and Sangrur, burning effigies of the Central Government. “The new scheme threatens assured rural employment and is an attempt to erase the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi,” said Lachman Singh Sewewal, general secretary of the Punjab Khet Mazdoor Union.
With Punjab now moving to challenge the Centre through a special Assembly session formally, the political confrontation over the future of rural employment guarantees is set to intensify in the weeks ahead.
