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Chandigarh: Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Tuesday launched a blistering attack on the BJP-led Union government, terming the renaming and restructuring of MGNREGA as ‘Viksit Bharat–GRAM G’ a direct assault on the livelihoods of rural poor and a severe blow to India’s federal structure.
Speaking in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha in support of the resolution moved against the Centre’s changes, Cheema accused the Union government of systematically dismantling the rights-based framework of MGNREGA and stripping rural labourers of their guaranteed employment. He described the move as an “attack on the stomachs of the marginalised” and warned that centralisation of welfare schemes would have devastating consequences for vulnerable communities.
Poignant Letter From Woman Worker Read in House
In an emotional intervention, the Finance Minister read out a letter from a MGNREGA worker, Charanjit Kaur, reflecting the deep anxiety among rural labourers. The letter highlighted fears that changing rules, centralised village lists and increased dependence on mobile-based attendance systems would deprive children of education and elderly family members of access to medicines.
Cheema said the Centre was snatching away the very “guarantee” of work that underpinned rural survival under MGNREGA. “By centralising everything, the Union government is making the scheme inaccessible to those who need it the most,” he asserted.
‘Against the Spirit of the Constitution’
Accusing the BJP of undermining the Constitution authored by B. R. Ambedkar, Cheema said the Centre’s actions violated the Preamble’s core principles of India being a Sovereign, Socialist, Secular, Democratic Republic. He reminded the House that the Supreme Court has repeatedly held that the Preamble is sacrosanct and beyond alteration.
In a sharply worded critique, the Finance Minister alleged that excessive centralisation of schemes was turning labourers into “bonded workers of a centralised system”, eroding cooperative federalism and weakening state economies. “This is a direct attack on the soul of democracy,” he said.
Objection to Religious Naming of Schemes
Cheema also strongly objected to naming government schemes after religious icons. While stating that Lord Ram is respected worldwide, he argued that attaching religious symbolism to welfare schemes was a political shield against accountability. “Tomorrow, anyone demanding wages or rights can be branded anti-religion,” he warned, calling it a dangerous precedent.
AAP Government’s Dalit-Centric Initiatives Highlighted
Contrasting the Centre’s approach with Punjab’s policies, Cheema highlighted what he described as the AAP government’s unprecedented focus on Dalit empowerment. He noted that for the first time in Punjab’s history, six of the 15 ministers in the Mann Cabinet belong to the Dalit community, and that Bhagwant Singh Mann appointed the state’s first Dalit Finance Minister—something previous Congress and Akali governments never did.
He said over 15,000 Dalit youth have been given government jobs, and loans of nearly 5,000 underprivileged Dalit families have been waived. The 2025–26 budget has allocated around ₹14,000 crore under the SC/ST Sub-Plan, the highest ever in Punjab, accounting for 34% of the total development budget.
Cheema also cited education-sector achievements, noting that hundreds of students from government schools—many children of labourers—have cleared JEE and NEET examinations in record numbers. He further pointed to the 25% reservation for Dalit lawyers in the Advocate General’s office, under which 58 candidates from underprivileged backgrounds have been appointed, calling Punjab the only state to have taken such a step.
Letters to Be Sent to PMO
Concluding his address, Cheema warned the Centre of a nationwide resistance if the rights of labourers were curtailed. He urged the Speaker to forward hundreds of letters received from MGNREGA workers—many bearing thumb impressions—to the Prime Minister’s Office to highlight the human cost of the policy changes. “We will not allow the BJP to snatch bread from the mouths of workers to serve corporate interests,” the Finance Minister declared, asserting that the Punjab government and the Aam Aadmi Party would stand firmly with rural labourers.
