The Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) has launched a fierce opposition against the central government's proposed move to alter the name of a flagship rural employment scheme. State Congress president Mahesh Kumar Goud has mobilized the party cadre for widespread demonstrations, accusing the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of attempting to erase the historical contributions of national icons.
State-Wide Agitation Against NREGA Renaming
On Friday, Mahesh Kumar Goud issued a clarion call to all party members across Telangana to actively participate in protests scheduled for the weekend. The core grievance is the BJP-led central government's proposal to remove Mahatma Gandhi's name from the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA). The plan reportedly involves renaming the scheme as 'Viksit Bharat- G RAM G Bill'.
Goud himself will lead from the front, heading a protest demonstration at the Gandhi statue near Paradise in Hyderabad on Saturday. This will be followed by coordinated protests at all district headquarters across Telangana on Sunday. The protests are not isolated events but part of a larger directive from the All India Congress Committee (AICC), indicating a nationally coordinated strategy against the proposed name change.
Accusations of Erasing National Legacy
The TPCC president framed the issue as a fundamental attack on India's modern history and the pillars of its nation-building. Mahesh Goud stated that the BJP is determined to erase the legacy of both Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi and their immense contributions to the country. He argued that the proposed renaming of NREGA, a scheme rooted in principles of social security and rural empowerment, is a symbolic step in this direction.
"The Congress will expose their mindset to the people," Goud asserted, emphasizing that the protest aims to highlight the ruling party's alleged disregard for historical figures associated with the freedom movement and the foundational values of the republic. He appealed to the party workers to ensure the success of the protests, making them a powerful public display of dissent.
Political Implications and Public Mobilization
This development signals an escalation in the political rhetoric between the Congress and the BJP in Telangana, using symbolic issues connected to national identity and history. By centering the protest around Mahatma Gandhi's name, the Congress seeks to tap into a broad emotional and respectful sentiment held by the public towards the Father of the Nation.
The organization of simultaneous protests at the state capital and all district headquarters is designed to maximize visibility and media coverage. It underscores the party's intent to portray the BJP's actions as a deliberate revision of history that must be resisted. The success of these demonstrations could set the tone for future political confrontations in the state on similar ideological grounds.
