New Delhi [India], December 18 (ANI): The Lok Sabha on Wednesday witnessed a sharp political exchange as senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders Anurag Thakur and Nishikant Dubey strongly backed the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, while launching a scathing attack on the Congress over the implementation and alleged corruption in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
Thakur highlighted the bill’s key improvements, including an increase in the employment guarantee from 100 to 125 days and timely wage credit. He accused the Congress of corruption and irregularities in the MGNREGA.
Participating in the debate, Anurag Thakur said, “The proposed legislation reflects Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s long-standing commitment to the economically and socially marginalised sections, including farmers, labourers, women and socially disadvantaged communities.”
Thanking the Prime Minister for bringing the Bill, Thakur recalled Modi’s oath-taking pledge to work for the poor, women, soldiers and farmers, and said that promise was clearly visible in the proposed law.
Responding to opposition criticism over the renaming of schemes, Thakur remarked that, “While the opposition focuses on nomenclature, the Modi government focuses on delivery.” Tracing the history of rural employment schemes since the 1980s, he listed various schemes under previous governments, including the Jawahar Rozgar Yojana, the Jawahar Rozgar Samriddhi Yojana, the Sampurna Gramin Rozgar Yojana, and the NREGA, alleging that the Congress selectively invoked Mahatma Gandhi’s name for political convenience.
Highlighting what he termed key improvements in the new Bill, Thakur said, “The employment guarantee has been increased from 100 days under MNREGA to 125 days, with wages to be credited within a week rather than within 15 days.”
He alleged large-scale corruption and irregularities worth thousands of crores during the UPA regime. He said the Modi government addressed leakages through Jan Dhan accounts, direct benefit transfer, geo-tagging and greater transparency.
He said, “Narendra Modi in Jan Dhan Yojana opened a lot of bank accounts, and now the Narendra Modi government is also filling money in those accounts.”
Thakur also cited higher budgetary allocations during the Modi government, including over ₹1.11 lakh crore during the COVID-19 period, and said action against “ghost job cards” had strengthened the system.
Dubey emphasized the bill’s importance, citing constitutional provisions and accusing the Congress of misleading the public. He praised the government’s efforts to introduce stricter monitoring and technology-driven transparency.
Joining the debate, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey termed the Bill “very important” and said the presence of senior leaders reflected the government’s seriousness. Referring to constitutional provisions, Dubey accused the Congress of misleading the public while invoking the Constitution and Mahatma Gandhi. Referring to constitutional provisions, Dubey accused the Congress of misleading the public while repeatedly invoking the Constitution and Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy.
He said, “Articles 49 and 51(a) of the Constitution, the basis for the Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi, clearly mention that there should be no politics in the name of Mahatma Gandhi, the President’s Name and the Vice President’s name cannot be given to any scheme.”
Alleging rampant corruption in MNREGA, Dubey said irregular measurements, delayed payments and commissions had become institutionalised under previous governments. Stressing that the new law would introduce stricter monitoring, district-level oversight and technology-driven transparency, he asserted that corruption would be rooted out.
Dubey further accused the Congress of repeatedly betraying Gandhian ideals and said the new Bill represents a decisive step towards accountability, transparency and dignity of labour in rural India.
Quoting a popular saying to underline his attack, Dubey said, “There is a saying, chor chori se jaaye, tumba pheri se nahi jaaye (“A thief may give up stealing, but he cannot give up his deceptive ways), aur ulta chor kotwal ko daante (the thief scolds the guard/police officer). The Congress only promotes corruption. We will do away with all the stealing through this act.”
Notably, the Lok Sabha will discuss air pollution in several parts of the country on Thursday, with Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav responding to the debate at 5:00 pm. This discussion comes amid worsening air quality in Delhi, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) standing at ‘very poor’ levels.
The debate was sought by Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, who emphasised the need for a systematic plan to combat air pollution, citing its severe impact on children’s health. The government has assured a solution-oriented discussion, with Minister Kiren Rijiju inviting suggestions from MPs across party lines.
Addressing the Lok Sabha on December 12, Gandhi said, “Most of our major cities are living under a blanket of poisonous air. Millions of children are getting lung diseases. Their future is being destroyed. People are getting cancer. Older people are struggling to breathe. This is an interesting issue because I’m confident we’ll reach a complete agreement with the government on it. This is not an ideological issue. Everyone in this house would agree that air pollution and the damage it is causing to our people are issues we would like to address together.” (ANI)
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