Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation, Revolutionary Socialist Party and All India Forward Bloc issued the following joint statement on December 17, 2025

The Left parties strongly oppose the BJP-led Union Government’s move to alter the basic character of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), which was enacted due to the pressure exerted by the Left parties on the UPA government. We call upon the people to mobilise in large numbers and protest on 22 December, against the Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, 2025 (VB G-RAM-G Bill), which is sought to replace MGNREGA.

MGNREGA is a universal, demand-driven law that provides a limited right to work. The new Bill changes this character and denies people even this limited right. It legally absolves the Union Government of its responsibility to allocate funds in accordance with demand.

The government’s claim of increasing guaranteed employment from 100 to 125 days is yet another of its well-known jhumlas. The Bill excludes large sections of rural households in the name of rationalising job cards. The suspension of employment for up to 60 days during peak agricultural seasons will deny work when it is most needed by rural workers and make them dependent on landlords. Mandatory digital attendance causes immense difficulties for workers, including loss of work and denial of their rights.

By proposing a change in the funding pattern, the Centre shifts its responsibility onto the states. This places an unsustainable financial burden on state governments while denying them any role in the decision-making process. The states are also expected to bear the expenditure on unemployment allowance and delay compensation. All these changes are intended to curtail the reach of the scheme and dilute the Union Government’s accountability.

The change in the scheme’s name from MGNREGA to G-RAM-G is an affront to Mahatma Gandhi and reflects the BJP/RSS’s hostility towards his legacy.

We demand that the BJP government immediately withdraw the VB G-RAM-G Bill. The Left parties will protest against these proposed changes throughout the country on 22 December. We appeal to the people to join in large numbers and demand the immediate withdrawal of the new Bill. We demand the government to strengthen the MGNREGA by making it universal, allocating necessary funds to ensure that at least 200-days of minimum employment is provided.