New Delhi, Dec. 16 -- The Opposition parties have launched a scathing attack on the Central government's proposal to replace the existing rural employment law Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025 - dropping the name of Mahatma Gandhi from the name.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor took a sharp jibe at the Central government, recalling the 1971 Bollywood song from Hare Rama Hare Krishna starring Dev Anand and Zeenat Aman - "Dekho o deewano tum ye kaam na karo, Ram ka naam badnaam na karo."

The MP from Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram asserted that the bill is not merely an administrative tweak but an "assault on the very spirit ...