The Punjab Legislative Assembly on Tuesday passed a unanimous and strongly-worded resolution, accusing the BJP-led central government of stripping away the livelihood security of Dalit labourers and impoverished families. The resolution centers on the alleged scrapping of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and its replacement with the VB-G RAM G Act.
A 'Dangerous Conspiracy' Against Dalit Survival
The House, in its resolution, branded the new Act as "anti-Dalit" and a "deliberate and dangerous conspiracy." It argued that the move effectively extinguishes the right to survival for Dalit labourers across India. The resolution demanded the immediate withdrawal of the new legislation and the full restoration of MGNREGA to its original rights-based form.
Moving beyond criticism of a policy change, the resolution accused the Centre of moving from dismantling a government scheme to destroying a fundamental "right to survival." It stated that the BJP's decisions repeatedly demonstrate an intent to marginalize Dalits, reflecting a sentiment that "BJP hates Dalits." The resolution emphatically declared, "Attacking MGNREGA is actually an attack on the dignity and existence of Dalits."
Political Allegations and Financial Burden on States
The resolution did not spare the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), taking sharp aim at the party for its "silence" on the issue. It alleged that this silence stems from SAD's hopes of re-establishing an alliance with the BJP by 2027, even if Dalits have to pay the price. "Keeping silent on the verdicts against dalits is also a crime," the resolution stated.
Further practical concerns were raised regarding the financial implications of the new Act. The resolution highlighted the shift from a fully centrally sponsored scheme to a 60:40 Centre-state cost-sharing model. This change, it warned, would place an extra financial burden on states like Punjab, which are already grappling with fiscal challenges.
The resolution pointed out an even starker provision: if the central budget allocation is exhausted, the state would be forced to bear the entire cost of unemployment allowances and 100% of the expenditure for work provided beyond the federal limit. A Congress MLA supported the resolution, arguing that states would be unable to shoulder this "exorbitant financial burden," which was the real intent behind effectively scrapping the scheme. The opposition also offered support to the ruling AAP government to take this fight to Delhi.
An Attack on Dignity and a Call to Action
The resolution, moved by Rural Development and Panchayats Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond, painted a vivid picture of the consequences. It noted that MGNREGA was the system that allowed Dalit labourers to remain in their villages, educate their children, and live with dignity. Its "abolition" was described as a direct attack on the community's dignity and existence, with the symbolic phrasing that it "extinguished the kitchen stoves" of families.
"A government that extinguishes the kitchen stoves of the dalit forfeits its moral right to seek votes from the community," Minister Sond stated. The resolution concluded with a firm recommendation: the state government must demand that the BJP-led Centre immediately withdraw the decision, fully restore MGNREGA, and ensure guaranteed work and wages for Dalit labourers and poor Dalit families nationwide. The Punjab Vidhan Sabha reaffirmed its solidarity with labourers and called for the reversal of this decision to protect the original rights-based framework of employment guarantee.
