NEW DELHI, NOV 4 (PTI): The Congress on Wednesday alleged that the VB-G RAM G grievance redressal rules notified this week have further “disempowered” workers, reducing their so called right to “yet another jumla”.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh claimed that using the mirage of digital governance, the rules clearly demonstrate that the rights will remain on paper.
He said that in the continuing trend of converting India’s most significant rights-based law into nothing more than an administrative scheme, the Union Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) has notified a set of rules on grievance redress which further “disempower” workers and people, leaving their so called right as “yet another jumla”. Where the government could have shown its intent to immediately redress violations of the core provisions of the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Act, it has decided to remove those avenues altogether, Ramesh argued.
“The final VB-G RAM G Grievance Redressal Rules, notified by MoRD on 2 November 2026, have significantly diluted several important provisions contained in the draft Rules published in May 2026,” he said in his post on X.
He pointed out that the key changes include the removal of penalties for failure to resolve grievances within the stipulated time frame.
“The draft Rules explicitly stated that failure to dispose of a grievance within seven working days would constitute a contravention of the Act and attract action under Section 27,” he said, adding that this provision has been deleted from the final Rules. While timelines remain, there is no longer an explicit provision in the rules holding officials accountable for non-compliance, Ramesh said.
He also flagged the “removal” of the obligation to initiate criminal proceedings in cases of financial irregularities.
Nadda slams Congress over SIR
BHOPAL, NOV 4 (PTI): Union minister J P Nadda on Wednesday hit out at the Congress for opposing the SIR, and claimed that it wants to ‘normalise, recognise and formalise’ outsiders as they helped the party remain in power for a long time.
Addressing the ‘Loktantra Bachao, Arajakta Hatao’ (Save Democracy, Remove Anarchy) rally and ‘padyatra’ (foot march) here, he also said that the BJP supports detection, deletion and deportation of outsiders, and accused the Congress of trying to undermine the institution of the Election Commission of India (ECI).
“BJP’s Amit Shah favours ‘detect, delete and deport’. And what does Congress say? What does INDIA bloc say? They say ‘normalise, recognise and formalise’. These people who have come from outside, normalise them. Make Aadhaar cards for them, make ration cards for them, settle them down,” he alleged.
“They are your voters, recognise them and formalise them, make them part of Indian politics. Tell me, should we detect them or not? Should we deport them or not?” he said, urging the people to “delete” the Congress and the INDIA bloc.
“The Congress is trying to undermine the Election Commission of India, an institution that serves a nation which is often called the mother of democracy, where democratic values run through the veins of its people, and which has earned global recognition through years of dedicated efforts,” he said.
The opposition party was doing so without any noble intent. Rather, it stems from its failure to garner public support, Nadda added.
“Realising that the electorate is unlikely to grant them any space in the political landscape for the next 20 to 30 years, they have resorted to blaming the Election Commission,” he said.
“The narrative they are trying to construct is that if the Congress wins, as they did in Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh, then ‘Rahul Baba’ is a champion. But if they lose elections, then the Election Commission is termed as dishonest,” the Union Health Minister said.
In many parts of the world, voters must go to an election office to register their names. In India, however, a Booth Level Officer (BLO) goes door-to-door to facilitate voter registration and this is the strength of the Election Commission, according to him.
Citing the remark made recently by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said the opposition party leaders were attacking in a “derogatory manner” to hide their electoral failures.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav also attacked the Congress for raising the issue of SIR, saying it was doing so to hide its electoral failures.
The BJP leaders later took part in the padyatra along with a large number of BJP workers.