TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee Wednesday, slammed the Narendra Modi government over the MGNREGA name change issue, questioning the ruling BJP’s intent behind the removal of Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the flagship UPA-era employment scheme.
Flagging the issue of pending MGNREGA dues in West Bengal, Banerjee asked the saffron party what it wants to achieve by merely changing the name of the scheme.
“Over Rs 50,000 crore in MGNREGA dues of West Bengal are still with the Centre…What will be achieved by merely changing the name? Where is your accountability?” he asked.
Banerjee said that his party calls the BJP ‘Bangla Virodhi’ and ‘Zamindar’ because they don’t even know where Rabindranath Tagore was born.
He said that the title ‘Mahatma’ was given to Gandhi by Rabindranath Tagore and not by the common people of the country.
“The title ‘Mahatma’ was given to Bapu by Rabindranath Tagore. Now, by removing the name of Mahatma Gandhi, it shows the value Mahatma Gandhi holds in the eyes of the Modi government and the BJP government…,” he said.
His remarks came amid the controversy over the Centre’s move to change the name of the MGNREGA employment guarantee scheme.
The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) was rolled out by the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government in 2006.
The Narendra Modi government has proposed to change the name of MGNREGA to Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill 2025, or VB-G RAM B Bill.
The move has met with intense criticism from the opposition parties, with the principal opposition party, Congress, holding a nationwide protest today.
The Congress has also planned a village-level campaign on the 141st Foundation Day of the MGNREGA, December 28, aimed at defending Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy and protecting rural laborers’ rights.
Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi accused Prime Minister Modi of harbouring a “deep dislike” for poor citizens’ rights. He called MGNREGA the “living embodiment” of Gandhi’s Gram Swaraj vision, essential during the COVID-19 pandemic. “For ten years, this government has weakened it; now it aims to erase it completely,” the Raebareli MP declared.