Senior Congress leader and former minister B Ramanath Rai has launched a scathing attack on the central government's decision to rename the flagship rural jobs scheme, terming it a direct insult to the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi.
A Direct Affront to Gandhi's Legacy
Speaking to journalists in Mangaluru on Friday, the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) vice-president expressed strong disapproval. He stated that the renaming of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is not an isolated incident but part of a larger, deliberate plot. Rai alleged that the BJP-led government has consistently shown disrespect towards Gandhi and other stalwarts of India's freedom struggle, and this move is a continuation of that trend.
Funding Shift and a 'Plot' to Weaken the Scheme
Rai detailed the substantive changes beyond the name. He pointed out that under the original MGNREGA, the entire wage burden was borne by the Central government. However, the newly passed Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission Bill-2025 alters this fundamental structure. Now, the funding will be shared between the Centre and states in a 60:40 ratio.
The Congress leader framed this amendment as a strategic dilution. "By renaming the scheme through amendments, the BJP government aims at weakening a successful rural employment guarantee scheme," he charged. Rai celebrated MGNREGA as a brainchild of the previous UPA government, renowned globally as one of the most ambitious social security initiatives, pivotal for rural development.
Political Backlash and the Future of Rural Jobs
The controversy highlights the deepening political rift over welfare schemes. Rai's accusations suggest that the opposition views the renaming and restructuring as an attempt to erode a program synonymous with the Congress era and its commitment to rural India. The move to make states share a significant part of the financial responsibility could also lead to implementation challenges, depending on the fiscal health of individual states.
This development sets the stage for further political confrontation, with the Congress vowing to defend the legacy of the scheme and its namesake. The rebranding to 'Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission' marks a significant policy shift whose practical impact on rural employment generation remains to be seen.
