New Delhi, Dec 21 The political debate over the proposed Viksit Bharat G RAM G Bill intensified on Sunday after BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal strongly rebutted Congress MP Sonia Gandhi's criticism of the legislation, accusing the party's leadership of opposing reforms without understanding their content.
Reacting to Sonia Gandhi's remarks against the Bill, Khandelwal questioned whether the Congress leader had actually read the bill before condemning it.
"Has Sonia Gandhi read this G RAM G Bill? If she reads it and does not blindly trust her advisors, then surely the truth of this bill will come out," he said.
He asserted that the bill, introduced under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is aimed at empowering ordinary farmers, ensuring they receive multiple benefits through improved rural governance mechanisms.
Khandelwal further alleged that the Congress leadership relies excessively on a small circle of advisors and fails to engage seriously with legislative details.
"The situation with Congress leaders is that they only look toward their courtiers; they pay no attention to what the Bill, which has been introduced in Parliament, means," he added, defending the government's intent behind the proposed reforms.
The BJP MP's remarks came in response to Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chairperson Sonia Gandhi, who earlier launched a sharp attack on the Centre, accusing it of undermining rural welfare schemes.
Addressing party workers and supporters on Saturday, Gandhi described the changes proposed by the government as a "black law" and said she was prepared to fight once again for the rights of the poor.
Recalling the enactment of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) nearly two decades ago, Gandhi said the legislation was passed during the tenure of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with broad political consensus.
She described the law as a revolutionary step that transformed rural livelihoods and provided employment security to crores of families, particularly among the most deprived and exploited sections of society.
Gandhi asserted that MGNREGA strengthened social justice and gave dignity to rural labourers, claiming that the Congress has consistently stood with marginalised communities.
She accused the present government of diluting hard-won welfare protections and vowed to resist any move that, in her view, weakens the rural safety net.
The BJP, however, has rejected these allegations, arguing that the G RAM G Bill seeks to modernise rural development policies, improve transparency and ensure targeted benefits reach farmers more efficiently.
Party leaders maintain that the opposition is misrepresenting the bill for political gain rather than engaging in constructive debate.
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