Sangh Parivar fears even Gandhi's name: Kerala LoP on MGNREGA row

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 16 (PTI) Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly V D Satheesan on Tuesday vehemently criticised the Centre for removing Mahatma Gandhi's name from a rural employment guarantee scheme and alleged that it reflects the Sangh Parivar's 'fear' of Gandhian ideals.

It was an attempt by the Narendra Modi government to appropriate the legacy of the programme, he alleged.

Satheesan was reacting to the union government's decision to introduce the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Aajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025 that seeks to replace the existing Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

The LoP said the BJP-led NDA government's decision revealed the Sangh Parivar's "deep intolerance" towards Mahatma Gandhi and the values he represented.

"Gandhian philosophy is the soul of the nation. The Sangh Parivar, which propagates a politics of division, hatred and animosity, cannot comprehend Gandhi's politics of love or the depth and reach of the values he championed," he said.

Those who assassinated the Father of the Nation continue to fear even his name and memory, the LoP further pointed out.

Drawing parallels with the Centre's earlier actions, the Congress senior alleged that the names of former Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi had also been removed from several schemes, and repeated attempts were made to demean their contributions.

Coming down heavily on Sangh Parivar, he further said these efforts stem from the right wing outfit's legacy of betraying the freedom struggle and its attempt to assert that the country belongs only to them.

However, the BJP government should not forget that the Congress and its leaders also belong to India, Satheesan added.

The MGNREGA was a revolutionary initiative that helped alleviate hunger of poor people in the country and enabled large sections of the population, especially women, to attain self-reliance.

"The Modi government is now trying to appropriate the parentage of this scheme, which was introduced by the UPA government in 2005," the senior leader alleged.

Those who believe that removing Mahatma Gandhi's name from the employment guarantee scheme will help to erase his ideas are living in a fool's paradise, he said.

Stating that the nation will collectively resist this move. he also urged the Centre to immediately withdraw this "arrogant and high-handed" decision.

The VB-G RAM G Bill, 2025 that seeks to replace the existing rural employment law MGNREGA is set to be introduced in the Lok Sabha during the ongoing Winter session of Parliament.

According to a copy of the Bill, it will provide a statutory guarantee of 125 days of wage employment in every financial year to every rural household whose adult members volunteer to undertake unskilled manual work.

Within six months from the date of commencement of the Act, states will have to make a scheme consistent with the provisions of the new law. PTI LGK SA