Opposition’s protest against new rural jobs Act is a failure: Shivraj Singh Chouhan

Allocations to agrarian improvement projects accrued nether the Narendra Modi authorities erstwhile compared with the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said portion replying to a statement successful the Rajya Sabha connected the moving of his Ministry connected Tuesday (March 17, 2026). While the Congress accused others of forgetting Mahatma Gandhi, nether its regime, astir projects were named aft members of the Nehru family, Mr. Chouhan said.

The Congress lacked argumentation clarity, leadership, and intent, Mr. Chouhan said. The protests against the alteration successful the sanction of MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) to VB-G RAM G [Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin)] Act did not win arsenic the state was not lasting with them, helium said.

Mocking the Leader of the Opposition successful the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for wearing jeans during the protests, helium said the protestation dates had been repeatedly announced and rescheduled, astatine archetypal January 5; past January 8; and later, January 10. “Yet, the agitation failed to summation traction. I travelled crossed the state looking for this mahasangram (great battle), but neither the world shook nor the entity cracked; not adjacent a leafage moved,” Mr. Chouhan said.

Attacking the West Bengal government, the Union Minister said societal audit findings from the State reported astir 11 lakh irregularities successful implementing the MGNREGA, including fake occupation cards, fake muster rolls, machines replacing labourers, and alleged money irregularities. Defending the VB-G RAM G Act, Mr. Chouhan said it was an upgraded model for agrarian employment, and the caller operation provided stronger safeguards for workers portion improving productivity.

“The caller model proposes to summation the guaranteed employment play from 100 days to 125 days, on with improved wages, unemployment allowance provisions, and ineligible safeguards specified arsenic involvement payments successful cases of delayed wage disbursement,” helium said.

Refuting the Opposition’s charges that allocations had travel down for the agrarian occupation strategy during the Modi regime, helium said the Union authorities had made a grounds allocation of ₹95,692 crore successful the Union Budget toward the caller initiative.