Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting was organized in Delhi. Many senior leaders including Congress Parliamentary Party chief Sonia Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, General Secretary KC Venugopal, Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor, Jairam Ramesh, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu participated in it.

In the meeting, former Congress President Rahul Gandhi alleged that the decision to abolish the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) was taken directly by the Prime Minister’s Office. While doing this, Cabinet and Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan was not consulted.

Rahul Gandhi said after the CWC meeting, ‘MNREGA was not just a scheme, but it was a rights-based concept. Scrapping the plan is an attack on this concept. Leader of opposition called this decision as disastrous as demonetisation.

Decision taken from PMO: Rahul Gandhi

He alleged that the government’s move is an attack on the federal structure of the country and centralization of power and financial system. This decision has been taken without asking Minister Shivraj and the cabinet. This decision was taken directly by the Prime Minister’s Office. ‘One man show’ going on. Modi does whatever he wants.

What did National President Mallikarjun Kharge say?

Kharge said, ‘MNREGA has changed the face of rural India. This became the world’s largest rural employment program. This stopped the migration. The villages got freedom from famine, hunger and exploitation. This scheme assured Dalits, tribals, women and landless laborers that the government stands with them in the fight against poverty.

He said, ‘We stood firm for the rights of the farmers and in November 2021, the Prime Minister had to withdraw the agricultural laws while apologizing to the farmers. Rahul ji had predicted the return of these black laws long ago. Recently he has also predicted that Modi government will have to reinstate MNREGA. He said, ‘It is our collective responsibility to make a concrete plan on MNREGA and create a nationwide, mass movement. We will win this battle. In this difficult situation, weak people across the country are looking towards Congress.

Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor was seen with the Congress line after a long time. Tharoor openly presented his stand on behalf of the government in the House against the bill changing the name of MNREGA. Discussion is going on in the Lok Sabha regarding the Vikas Bharat Ji Ram Ji Bill in place of MNREGA. Speaking in the House, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor gave advice to the government and said that Ram’s name should not be defamed.

The government on Tuesday introduced the ‘Developed India-Ji Ram Ji Bill, 2025’ in the Lok Sabha amid opposition opposition, which replaces the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA).

I would like to oppose the introduction of the proposed bill, the VB–G RAM G Bill, which represents a deeply regrettable and retrograde step for our nation and for our nation’s commitment to the welfare of its most vulnerable citizens.

My first objection, as with others, is the… pic.twitter.com/oUKoGulN4L

— Congress (@INCIndia) December 16, 2025

Shashi Tharoor lashed out openly in the House

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday opposed the introduction of the developed Bharat-Ji Ram Ji Bill 2025 in the Lok Sabha. Referring to a song from Dev Anand’s famous film ‘Hare Rama Hare Krishna’, he took a dig at the ruling party, ‘Look O crazy people, don’t do this work, don’t defame Ram’s name.’

‘Mahatma Gandhi’s Ram Rajya was not a political project’

Tharoor said, ‘Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of Ram Rajya was never a purely political project. It was a socio-economic blueprint based on strengthening villages. His unwavering belief in Gram Swaraj was a key part of that vision.

Shashi Tharoor claimed that by naming the Father of the Nation in the original Act, the deep connection was acknowledged that true employment guarantee and progress should come from the grassroots level only, which reflected his principle of putting the last man first. He alleged that removing Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the bill amounts to snatching away its moral basis and historical validity.

Tharoor’s sarcasm, ‘Look crazy people, don’t do this thing…’
Taking a dig at the ruling party, Tharoor said this line from a song from the film ‘Hare Rama Hare Krishna’, ‘Look O crazy people, don’t do this work, don’t defame Ram’s name.’