Itanagar, Dec 18 (PTI) The Congress in Arunachal Pradesh on Thursday criticised the BJP-led central government for its move to rename and restructure the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee
Act (MGNREGA), and described the exercise as politically driven.
Amid protests of opposition MPs, the Lok Sabha passed the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, which sought to rechristen the MGNREGA.
Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Bosiram Siram claimed that the proposal was ideologically motivated and aimed at erasing the Congress' legacy while weakening a hard-won, rights-based welfare legislation.
Reacting to discussions in Parliament on the issue, Siram asserted that the matter went far beyond a mere change in nomenclature.
“This is not about a name; it is about diluting the very soul of a rights-based employment guarantee and converting it into a discretionary government scheme,” he said.
Siram expressed solidarity with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, and leaders of the INDIA bloc, who staged a protest in Parliament, opposing the proposed renaming and restructuring of the MGNREGA.
He said the protest highlighted a fundamental truth that jobs, dignity of labour and federal responsibility cannot be rewritten or weakened at the whim of a ruling party.
Terming the controversy surrounding the proposed G-RAM-G Bill as deeply unfortunate and intellectually dishonest, Siram said the ideals of Gram Swaraj and Ram Rajya were never competing philosophies.
“They were twin pillars of Mahatma Gandhi’s moral and political consciousness. To replace Mahatma Gandhi’s name while invoking ‘Ram’ is to falsely manufacture a conflict where none existed. Gandhi’s last utterance was ‘Ram’; his legacy should not be turned into a tool of political division,” he said.
Reiterating that MGNREGA is neither a charity nor a political favour, Siram said it is a legal and constitutional guarantee enacted by Parliament, ensuring the right to work, dignity of labour and livelihood security for crores of rural households across the country.
“No amount of cosmetic rebranding can erase the historical fact that MGNREGA is a transformative Congress legacy, conceptualised under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi and implemented during the tenure of Manmohan Singh,” he added.
Highlighting Arunachal Pradesh’s unique challenges as a remote, border and tribal state, the Congress leader said MGNREGA has served as a critical lifeline during lean agricultural seasons, natural disasters and periods of economic distress.
He questioned the Centre’s priorities, asking why wages were delayed for months, funds curtailed arbitrarily, job cards deactivated and the statutory guarantee of 100 days of work routinely violated.
Calling the move a direct insult to Gandhian values, Siram said naming the Act after Mahatma Gandhi symbolised the Indian state’s moral, constitutional and ethical commitment to its poorest citizens.
“Any attempt to erase his name reflects political insecurity and a deep disregard for the principles of self-reliance, decentralisation and dignity of labour that Gandhi stood for,” he said.
The APCC demanded that the Centre immediately withdraw any proposal to rename, restructure or dilute MGNREGA, restore and enhance budgetary allocations, ensure timely payment of wages without bureaucratic hurdles, and strengthen implementation in tribal, remote, hilly and border areas, including Arunachal Pradesh.
Reaffirming the party’s stand, Siram said history cannot be erased by changing names, and rights cannot be weakened through rebranding.
“MGNREGA is not just a law; it is a promise to the poor. It will remain MGNREGA in law, in spirit and in the collective conscience of the people of India,” he added. PTI UPL NN
