The Congress party held a huge protest at Freedom Park on Tuesday, January 27, against the implementation of the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission Gramin (VB-G RAM G) scheme by the BJP-led Union government. The Union government replaced the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with the Viksit Bharath in December 2025.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah called the VB-G RAM G scheme called the VB-G RAM G scheme an “anti-people law” and said that the new employment guarantee act placed the financial burden on states.
He said that state governments would now have to shoulder 40 percent of the wage expenditure while under the MGNREGA, the wage expenditure had been the complete responsibility of the Union government. However, under the new law, the Union government will pay only 60 percent of the wages, and the remaining amount will have to be paid by the state government.
He further stated that the Congress government will add Mahatma Gandhi’s name to the buildings of all the 6,000 gram panchayats in Karnataka.
Deputy Chief Minister and KPCC President DK Shivakumar, said that the state government had been spending Rs 6,000 crore annually through the MGNREGA which had been praised worldwide.
“We are fighting in support of the employment rights of poor people. It was the government of Manmohan Singh, under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi, that provided employment to those who did not have jobs. Our employment guarantee scheme had drawn the attention of the entire world. The World Bank had praised this scheme in 2013 as a very excellent scheme.”
He further said that the Congress party would launch a 5-kilometre footmarch at the taluk level involving MGNREGA workers. “The Union Government is snatching away the rights of farmers, workers, and panchayats. Our struggle is against this.”
AICC General Secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala condemned the VB-G RAM G law and questioned how people sitting in Delhi could understand local panchayats and related issues. He stated that power should be given to panchayats and not to people sitting in Delhi.
Due to court restrictions, only ministers, presidents of a few gram panchayats, and local Congress leaders went to Lok Bhavan with their demands.