Congress has announced a nationwide protest against the Centre following the replacement of the UPA-era Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with the Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB G-RAM-G) law. Party chief Mallikarjun Kharge termed the move an insult to Mahatma Gandhi and stated that the Congress would launch the “Save MNREGA Campaign” from January 5, making the scheme the central point of a massive nationwide movement. Kharge emphasized that MGNREGA is not merely a welfare scheme but a constitutional right to work, and pledged to oppose any attempt to remove Gandhiji’s name. Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi criticized the government, claiming that Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the decision without consulting ministers or the Union Cabinet, calling it indicative of one-man governance. He vowed to fight the replacement and asserted that the entire opposition would align against the move. The VB G-RAM-G law, which has received President Droupadi Murmu’s assent, guarantees 125 days of wage employment per year to rural households willing to undertake unskilled manual labor. Unlike MGNREGA as a fully Central scheme, the new law mandates a 60:40 funding split between the Centre and the states. Congress and other opposition parties have strongly criticized the law for removing Mahatma Gandhi’s name and undermining a rights-based employment scheme.