Acting on a nationwide call by Left parties against the proposed VB–G Ramji law, which seeks to replace the MGNREGA Act, a joint protest march and resistance meeting was organised in the state capital Patna on Monday. During the protest, leaders and workers of Left parties accused the Central government of attacking the employment rights of rural labourers.

The protest march began from GPO Golambar, where demonstrators carrying flags and banners raised slogans such as “We will not tolerate an attack on MGNREGA,” “We will not tolerate hatred in the name of Mahatma Gandhi,” and “Stop the attack on the rights of the poor.” The march culminated at Station Golambar, where it turned into a large resistance meeting.

The meeting was jointly presided over by CPI district secretary Vishwajeet Kumar and CPM district secretary Comrade Shivkumar Vidyarthi. Addressing the gathering, CPM state secretariat member Manoj Chandravanshi, CPI state secretariat member Irfan Ahmad Fatimi, AITUC Bihar state president Ghazanfar Nawab, and AIYF national president Raushan Kumar Sinha, along with other leaders, strongly criticised the policies of the Central government.

Speakers alleged that even employment is now being “communalised” in the country. They claimed that while the BJP government earlier spread hatred in the name of Muslims, it is now doing so in the name of Mahatma Gandhi, and the proposed VB–G Ramji law is a clear example of this approach. They further said that by weakening a rights-based law like MGNREGA and shifting its responsibility from the Centre to the states, the government is attempting to dilute the employment rights of poor and rural workers.

It was also stated at the meeting that during the UPA-I government, with the support of Left parties, the country received a legal guarantee of the right to employment for the first time. However, the present government, the speakers alleged, is attempting to alter the law to serve corporate interests. Left parties announced that they would not allow any changes to the law to succeed under any circumstances.

Several state- and district-level leaders and workers of the CPI and CPM, along with hundreds of supporters, participated in the protest. At the conclusion of the programme, participants resolved to intensify the movement further.