Pages torn, walkout, overnight dharna: How Opposition reacted to G RAM G Bill passage

The Opposition staged a walkout from Rajya Sabha and raised slogans protesting the passage of G RAM G Bill brought in to replace the MGNREGA.

The VB-G RAM G Bill was cleared in Parliament amid strong uproar from several members of the Opposition, who reportedly even tore a few pages of the Bill in the House.

TMC MPs, including Dola Sen, Satabdi Roy, Derek O'Brien and Sagarika Ghose, staged a protest dharna against the passage of the VB-G RAM G bill.(PTI)

The Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, which was passed in the Rajya Sabha with a voice vote, replaces the 20-year-old MGNREGA.

Its passage came hours after the Lok Sabha cleared it on Thursday and was marked by huge protest over the removal of Mahatma Gandhi's name from the existing scheme.

The Opposition further accused the government of not allowing enough time for debate and alleged that the new bill puts financial burden on states.

Opposition walkout

Slogans against the government echoed in the Rajya Sabha as members of the Opposition staged a walkout during the passage of the Bill. Some members were also seen tearing pages of the Bill, as Chairman CP Radhakrishnan warned them not to go towards the treasury benches.

Later in the day, the opposition parties sat on a dharna outside the Samvidhan Sadan in the parliament complex in protest of the bill and claimed they would launch a country-wide agitation.

Overnight dharna in Parliament complex

After the passage of the Bill, several Trinamool Congress members began a 12-hour dharna at midnight in the Parliament complex, sitting on the stairs of Samvidhan Sadan.

TMC leader Sagarika Ghose accused the central government of bulldozing the VB-G RAM G bill. She said that the manner in which the bill is brought is completely “anti-poor, anti-people, anti-farmer, anti-rural poor.”

Accusing the government of not allowing a proper debate, Ghosh reportedly said: "This is an insult to India's poor, it is an insult to Mahatma Gandhi, it is an insult to Rabindranath Tagore. With just five hours' notice, this bill was given to us."

Meanwhile, Congress general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala termed the passage of the Bill a “sad day for the country's labour force.”

The Opposition has demanded that the Bill be sent to a parliamentary panel for further scrutiny.

(With inputs from PTI)