Opposition settles for 'dignified' protest, rejects boycott option

New Delhi: Opposition leaders discussed two options for registering their protest against the scrapping of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) during the President's address, but they eventually decided against boycotting the address and instead chose to register "a dignified and brief" protest during the address without disrupting the proceedings.

During the discussions that the Congress representatives held with other Opposition floor leaders, many of them, including those from the DMK, Trinamool and AAP said that boycotting the President's address could prove to be politically unwise as such a course could gift the ruling side a stick to beat the opposition with.

Therefore, the Opposition MPs conducted the choreographed protest in the House, especially when the President referred to the new VB-G RAM G Act that replaced the MGNREGA.