Senior Congress leader and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday led a protest in Parliament against the Centre’s move to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with the proposed Viksit Bharat Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, 2025, popularly referred to as the G Ram G Bill.

Holding up photographs of Mahatma Gandhi on the Parliament premises, Congress MPs objected to the introduction of the Bill, alleging that it weakens a landmark welfare law that has supported rural livelihoods for two decades.

Priyanka Gandhi opposes Bill in Lok Sabha

During proceedings in the Lok Sabha, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan sought permission to introduce the new Bill, which aims to replace MGNREGA. Priyanka Gandhi opposed the move under Rule 72(1) of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business, registering what she described as a “strong objection”.

She said MGNREGA had been a revolutionary law since its introduction in 2005 by the UPA government and had enjoyed support across party lines. According to her, the scheme guarantees 100 days of employment annually to the poorest sections in rural India and has played a key role in strengthening the rural economy.

Concerns over funding model and role of Gram Sabhas

Priyanka Gandhi flagged concerns over changes proposed in the new Bill, particularly the shift from a demand-based funding model to a system where allocations are decided in advance by the Centre. She argued that MGNREGA works on demand from the ground, with Gram Sabhas empowered to assess local employment needs.

“The right to employment is being weakened, and this goes against the Constitution,” she said, adding that the proposed law reduces the role of Gram Sabhas and dilutes the core principle of guaranteed work.

She also pointed out that the Centre’s funding share for the scheme has come down to 60 per cent for most states, warning that this could strain state finances at a time when several states are already awaiting GST dues.

Objection to renaming and passage without discussion

The Congress leader questioned what she described as a “craze” to rename existing schemes, noting that such changes involve additional costs. She urged the government not to rush the legislation and to withdraw the Bill for wider discussion in the House.

When members from the treasury benches made a remark referring to her family, Priyanka Gandhi responded by saying that Mahatma Gandhi may not belong to her family but is regarded as family by the entire nation.

Wider opposition, government defence

Several opposition leaders echoed these concerns. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor opposed the Bill, calling it immoral to remove Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the scheme. Other विपक्ष members raised issues over normative funding and the reduced central contribution.

Government sources, however, defended the Bill, saying it aligns with the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision. They argued that normative funding allows predictable and rational budgeting, unlike a demand-based model that can lead to uncertainty, while still ensuring employment or unemployment allowance for eligible workers.

BJP leader and former Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi dismissed the opposition’s protest, alleging that the objection stemmed from the inclusion of Lord Ram’s name in the scheme.

The release of West Bengal’s draft voter list following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has set off a fresh political controversy, with 58 lakh names found missing from the rolls. The development comes months ahead of the Assembly elections and has sharpened the ongoing debate between the ruling Trinamool Congress and the opposition BJP.

According to the draft list, 24 lakh voters have been marked as deceased, 19 lakh as relocated, 12 lakh as missing and around 1.3 lakh as duplicate entries. The exercise aims to eliminate duplication and errors from the electoral database and marks the completion of the first phase of SIR, which was last conducted in the state in 2002.

Objection window opens, final list due in February

With the draft list now published, voters whose names have been excluded can file objections and seek corrections. The Election Commission is expected to address these claims before releasing the final voter list in February next year. The announcement of the West Bengal Assembly elections is likely only after the final list is made public.

Trinamool calls deletions injustice, sets up help booths

The Trinamool Congress has strongly objected to the scale of deletions. Party MP Saugata Roy described the removal of 58 lakh names as an injustice and alleged that legitimate voters were being targeted. He said the party has set up voter assistance booths to help people submit forms for re-inclusion of their names.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has also opposed the SIR exercise, accusing the Centre and the Election Commission of attempting to strike off the names of eligible voters ahead of the polls. At a recent rally in Krishnanagar, she urged people to protest if their names were deleted from the rolls.

BJP defends SIR, targets Trinamool vote bank claims

The BJP has defended the revision exercise, accusing the Trinamool Congress of trying to shield illegal and fake voters. Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Suvendu Adhikari claimed the Chief Minister’s opposition stemmed from fears of losing power as deceased, duplicate and illegal names were being removed from the voter list.

Earlier, Trinamool had also targeted the Election Commission over reports of Booth Level Officers facing extreme work pressure during the exercise. With the draft list now out, the political confrontation over SIR is expected to intensify further in the run-up to the elections.

A major road accident on the Delhi-Agra Expressway, also known as the Yamuna Expressway, claimed at least four lives and left 25 people injured in Mathura on Tuesday morning after multiple vehicles rammed into each other amid dense fog.

According to officials, the accident involved seven buses and three cars that collided due to extremely poor visibility. The impact of the crash led to several vehicles catching fire, creating panic among passengers stranded on the highway.

Senior Superintendent of Police Shlok Kumar confirmed that search and rescue operations at the site were nearly complete. He said emergency teams from the fire department, police and district administration were rushed to the spot soon after the accident was reported.

“Dense fog severely reduced visibility, which caused the collision between multiple buses and cars. Some vehicles caught fire following the impact,” Kumar told reporters, adding that four fatalities had been confirmed so far.

He said around 25 injured people were taken to hospitals, including community health centres and the district hospital. Officials clarified that none of the injured were in critical condition and all were receiving medical care. Arrangements were also being made to transport stranded passengers to their destinations using government vehicles.

Administration focuses on relief, investigation later

Mathura District Magistrate Chandra Prakash Singh described the incident as unfortunate and said the immediate priority was relief and medical assistance. He stated that more than a dozen fire tenders and over 14 ambulances were deployed to manage the situation.

“The bodies of the deceased have been recovered and the injured have been admitted to hospitals. All those injured are reported to be out of danger,” Singh said, adding that the cause of the accident would be examined after relief operations are fully completed.

The accident comes a day after another fog-related multi-vehicle crash on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, where low visibility led to a deadly pile-up involving several vehicles.