‘Issues with Ram’s name’: Anurag Thakur takes jibe at opposition over VB-GRAM-G row; predicts Congress’ ‘century of defeats’ | India News
NEW DELHI: BJP MP Anurag Thakur on Friday criticised the Congress for opposing the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgaar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, 2025 (VB-G RAM-G), alleging that the party’s objection stemmed from discomfort with the word “Ram” in the legislation’s name.Speaking to reporters, Thakur took a swipe at the Rahul Gandhi-led Congress, describing it as an electorally weakened party and predicting further setbacks.“…The Congress party under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi will soon score a century of defeats in 2026,” he said.Responding to the opposition’s criticism over the removal of Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the revamped rural employment law, Thakur questioned Congress’s record on naming employment schemes.“…In 1989, it was named ‘Jawahar Rozgar Yojana’, in 1999 it was named ‘Jawahar Gram Samridhi Yojana’, and in 2001 it was named ‘Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana’, and then again in 2004, under the UPA government, the scheme was named ‘NREGA’, and finally in 2009, it was named ‘MGNREGA’. I ask the Congress, did they only remember Mahatma Gandhi in 2009?…” Thakur said.He further accused the Congress of politicising Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy, claiming that Gandhi had himself asked for the dissolution of the Congress after Independence.Highlighting provisions of the new law, Thakur said the VB-G RAM-G offers enhanced benefits compared to MGNREGA, including an increase in guaranteed employment days and higher funding.“The poor and needy people in the country will now get the opportunity to work for 125 days instead of 100 days. The daily wages will be increased in this bill. Congress’s budget for MGNREGA was Rs 30,000 crore, which the Modi government has increased to Rs 1 lakh 11 thousand crore annually. To prevent fraudulent activities, as observed in the Congress reign, geotagging and bank account creation have been done…” he added.The Hamirpur MP also accused the Congress of opposing references to Lord Ram, citing its criticism of the Ram Mandir, Ram Setu and related controversies, and said Sanatan Dharma was deeply rooted across the country.“Congress only has issues with the name of Ram. The opposition only wants to insult devotees of Ram. They open fired on Ram bhakts, opposed Ram temple, to date haven’t visited Ram temple, opposed Ram Setu. Even when the Ram temple events were underway, TN CM closed the doors of state temples and the devotees had to go to courts. Right now DMK-Congress government in TN even after the Madurai court judgement has gone against the order and has escalated Deepam row. Can Congress stay alive in India by abusing Sanatan, Congress is mistaken, Mughal came and went, Brits came and went back, Sanatan has stayed and will always stay,”Earlier in the day, Thakur attended the Harballah Sangeet Sammelan in Jalandhar, where he spoke about the importance of preserving India’s musical traditions.The VB-G RAM-G Bill was passed by Parliament on December 18 and received the President’s assent on December 21. The law guarantees 125 days of wage employment per rural household, up from the existing 100 days, for adult members willing to undertake unskilled manual work.Under Section 22, the Centre and states will share funding in a 60:40 ratio, while North-Eastern states, Himalayan states and Union Territories including Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir will follow a 90:10 pattern. Section 6 allows states to notify up to 60 days in a financial year during peak agricultural seasons.
