Telangana Assembly passes resolution opposing Centre’s new rural employment law
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Hyderabad: Amidst strong opposition from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members, the Telangana Legislative Assembly on Friday passed a resolution opposing the Centre’s move to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with the new VB G RAM G Act. The House demanded that the previous legislation be continued to protect the interests of rural workers.
Moving the resolution, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy argued that the new law adversely affects the rights of the poor and women workers while undermining the federal spirit by placing an additional financial burden on states. He further alleged that removing Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the title of the new legislation weakened the very spirit of the historic act. Highlighting the scheme's importance to the state, Reddy noted that 90 per cent of beneficiaries in Telangana were from SC, ST, and BC communities, with women comprising 62 per cent of the workforce.
The Chief Minister specifically criticised the provision to pause work for 60 days during the agricultural season, stating that this would cause injustice to the landless poor who require employment throughout the year. He pointed out that while MGNREGA allowed for 266 types of work, the new law removes specific categories such as land development, which directly impacts small and marginal farmers, Dalits, and tribals. The resolution declared that the original law must be maintained to fulfil the aspirations of workers' families.
In response, BJP floor leader A Maheshwar Reddy countered the state government’s claims, asserting that the new act helps realise Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of ‘Gram Swaraj’ or village self-rule. He argued that the mandated pause during the agricultural season was designed to assist farmers by addressing labour shortages during critical farming periods. However, BJP legislators registered their dissent by voting against the resolution. The session also witnessed moments of tension when remarks made by CPI MLA Kunamneni Sambasiva Rao regarding the Prime Minister triggered a furore, leading the Speaker to assure the House that objectionable comments would be expunged from the records.
(Inputs from PTI)