31 December 2025 Punjab Khabarnama Bureau : The Aam Aadmi Party-ruled Punjab today locked horns with the BJP-led Centre as the state Assembly unanimously passed a resolution against the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, calling the new law that replaces MGNREGA a “deliberate conspiracy to take away the livelihoods of poor and Dalit labourers”.
In the resolution, the House recommended that the state government demand from the Centre to immediately withdraw the decision to scrap MGNREGA and restore the rural job scheme to its original right-based form.
The Punjab Government had convened a one-day special session of the Vidhan Sabha to oppose the replacement of MGNREGA with the VB-G RAM G Act. The resolution was tabled in the Assembly by Rural Development and Panchayat Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said the Centre had “snatched” the employment guarantee of Dalits and poor by dismantling MGNREGA. “The Punjab Vidhan Sabha stands firmly with Dalit and poor labourers,” he said.
Interestingly, while AAP tried to turn replacement of MGNREGA with G RAM G Act into a Dalit issue, Congress MLA Aruna Chaudhary objected, saying the scheme was introduced by her party for all poor and unemployed people, irrespective of their caste, gender or religion.
The lone BJP MLA present in the House, Ashwani Sharma, despite being outnumbered by AAP, Congress and two rebel SAD MLAs, defended his party, but had left the House when the resolution was passed. Sharma claimed “several scams” were detected in MGNREGA in Punjab and asked why no social auditing was done in over 6,000 villages.
Sharma was countered by Punjab AAP president Aman Arora, who asserted the “scams” occurred during the Congress rule and mostly in Muktsar, Gidderbaha, Abohar and Fazilka. Sond accused the Centre of withholding funds amounting to Rs 350 crore.
Bholath MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira was the other absentee when the resolution was passed. He was present in the House during the debate and objected to not being given a chance to speak. He entered the well of the House to lodge his protest just before Chief Minister Mann was to speak on the resolution. As Khaira didn’t return to his seat despite appeals by Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan, he was forcibly evicted from the House by security staff.
The CM said AAP would become the “voice of Dalits and poor labourers”, and raise MGNREGA concerns with the PM. “While the Centre provides subsidies to big industrial houses, it is trying to snatch the livelihood of poor labourers,” he said.
Finance Minister Harpal Cheema said scrapping MGNREGA was an attack not only on the poor, but also on federalism.
Congress MLA Pargat Singh said there was no need to hold the special session, and that his party legislators were ready to travel to Delhi with AAP leaders to confront the Centre.
“The state government has provided only 28 days of employment under MGNREGA this year, and the daily wages offered are lower than Haryana. By changing the financing structure of the scheme and asking states to contribute 40 per cent of the funding, the Centre has tried to throttle financially stressed states,” he said.
Summary:
The Punjab Assembly has passed a resolution opposing G RAM G, terming it a conspiracy aimed at snatching employment opportunities. Lawmakers expressed concerns that the move could adversely affect jobs and harm local employment prospects. The resolution reflects growing political opposition and demands a re-evaluation of the policy to safeguard workers’ interests in the state.