Arunachal: Cong protests MGNREGA renaming, calls move politically motivated

Itanagar, Dec 21 (PTI) The Congress on Sunday staged a peaceful protest rally at IG Park here, opposing the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government's decision to rename the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) as Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill.

Addressing the gathering, Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Bosiram Siram strongly criticised the move, describing it as "unnecessary, politically motivated and aimed at erasing the legacy of the Congress party and Mahatma Gandhi".

He asserted that MGNREGA is not merely a welfare scheme but a statutory right of the rural poor, enacted by Parliament to guarantee livelihood security, dignity of labour and social justice.

Siram said the BJP government has "failed" to adequately strengthen MGNREGA through sufficient budgetary allocation, timely payment of wages and expansion of employment opportunities.

"Instead of addressing the real problems faced by rural workers, the government is indulging in symbolic renaming exercises to divert public attention from its administrative failures. No change of name can alter the pro-people spirit and constitutional foundation of MGNREGA," he added.

APCC vice president Abraham Techi, termed the renaming an "affront" to democratic values and parliamentary traditions.

He said the BJP's focus on renaming welfare schemes reflects its "inability" to deliver on key issues such as employment generation, price stability and rural development.

Warning against any attempt to dilute the rights-based framework of MGNREGA, Techi said the Congress party and the INDIA bloc would strongly resist such moves.

Reiterating its demand, the APCC called upon the central government to immediately withdraw the VB-G Ram G Bill, 2025, retain the name and spirit of MGNREGA, and further strengthen the scheme in the interest of rural workers and the poor. PTI UPL UPL RG