The Lok Sabha descended into chaos during the debate on the government’s new rural employment law, as angry Opposition MPs tore copies of the Bill and flung the pieces towards Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. The dramatic scenes unfolded after the House passed the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, which will replace the nearly 20-year-old MGNREGA.

Opposition parties accused the Centre of deliberately erasing Mahatma Gandhi’s name from a landmark welfare scheme that guarantees jobs to rural families. The protests grew so intense that the debate briefly turned into a shouting match, forcing repeated interventions by the Speaker.

Responding sharply, Shivraj Singh Chouhan launched a fierce counterattack on the Congress. He said the party had no moral right to invoke Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy. “Congress talks about Gandhi today, but it was Congress that ignored his ideals,” Chouhan said, accusing the party of using Gandhi’s name for political gain.

The Union Minister also defended the decision to overhaul MGNREGA, claiming the old scheme suffered from serious flaws. According to him, states spent most of the funds on wages, while infrastructure and material creation were neglected. “This new law is meant to correct those mistakes and actually strengthen rural India,” he asserted.

Taking a direct swipe at Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Chouhan said the debate was being misled. He questioned why Congress was raising objections now, pointing out that several government schemes in the past were named and renamed by Congress governments themselves. “How long will they fool the country?” he asked.

Outside the House, Opposition MPs also staged protests near Parliament, calling the Bill an attack on workers’ rights. The government, however, insists the new law offers more jobs, not less, increasing the guaranteed employment from 100 days to 125 days per rural household every year.

The Bill will now move to the Rajya Sabha. If cleared there and approved by the President, it will become law. The Centre says the new framework is part of its long-term vision of Viksit Bharat 2047, aimed at creating durable rural infrastructure along with employment.