Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday criticised the passage of a bill in the Lok Sabha that seeks to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), calling it an unjustified and anti-people move that weakens the rural job scheme.

In a Facebook post, the CM said the bill was passed by ignoring opposition voices and called for strong public opinion to be built against what he described as the Union government’s “wrong policies”. The remarks came after the Lok Sabha passed the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, which proposes to replace the 20-year-old MGNREGA.

“Passing the bill that undermines the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme in the Lok Sabha, ignoring all opposition, is an unjustifiable anti-people act,” Vijayan said. The veteran CPM leader accused the Union government, led by “forces linked to the Sangh Parivar”, of challenging farmers and agricultural workers across the country.

He alleged that changes to the name and structure of the scheme reflected a political agenda and fear of Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy. The CM said the bill would allow the Union government to evade its responsibilities while placing a heavy financial burden on the states.

The CM also flagged what he described as a “dangerous provision” in the bill that allows the scheme to be suspended for up to 60 days during peak farming seasons, warning that it could severely affect rural livelihoods.

Vijayan said opposition demands to refer the bill to a Joint Parliamentary Committee or a Select Committee were rejected, even though some parties within the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) had raised concerns.

According to him, the NDA government has weakened the employment guarantee scheme over the years by reducing budget allocations and is now attempting to dismantle it entirely. He also claimed that MGNREGA was implemented during the first United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, following pressure from the Left, with the Congress supporting it reluctantly.