Opposition had been protesting in Parliament, demanding the removal of the law’s original name, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 (MGNREGA). Hitting back, Chouhan asked whether Mahatma Gandhi would have accepted such “disgraceful” conduct.

The minister said he had listened patiently to 98 MPs who spoke during the debate in the Lok Sabha and stressed the importance of discussion. “I was fully prepared to give my reply.

But they did not allow me to complete my reply and disrupted the House’s proceedings. I am deeply hurt by the behaviour of the opposition,” he said. Accusing the Congress of indulging in political theatrics, the minister claimed that during the UPA government’s tenure, only 1,660 crore human-days of work were generated, while the NDA government had created 3,210 crore human-days. He also said the Congress-led government spent `2.13 lakh crore on MGNREGA, compared to over `8.53 lakh crore spent by the NDA government.

According to him, the VB-G RAM G Bill would make rural employment more comprehensive, inclusive and results-oriented, while promoting development, convergence and saturation.