Tripura Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman today criticized the renaming of a flagship rural employment program, alleging that it amounts to an insult to Mahatma Gandhi.

Speaking at a press conference, Roy Barman claimed that fundamentalist forces in both Bangladesh and India share a common thread of religious extremism and intolerance. In response, he announced that the Pradesh Congress will organize statewide demonstrations tomorrow to protest the move.

Roy Barman explained that the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) has been a vital scheme providing rural households—particularly unskilled laborers—with a minimum of 100 days of guaranteed employment each financial year. He emphasized that the program not only ensures livelihood security but also supports rural infrastructure development, making it a key social security initiative aimed at poverty alleviation.

He alleged that the central government has abolished MGNREGA, replacing it with the “Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission Bill, 2025,” recently passed in Parliament with a majority. Roy Barman described the new legislation as “anti-labor” and “disastrous,” asserting that it removes the crucial legal provision of guaranteeing employment within 15 days of application—a hallmark of MGNREGA. According to him, the omission undermines workers’ rights and threatens rural livelihoods.

Drawing comparisons with the nationwide protests against the controversial farm laws, which were later repealed due to public pressure, Roy Barman warned that citizens across the country are likely to mobilize to demand the withdrawal of the new employment law.