Members of the DMK, Congress, CPM, CPI, VCK, and MDMK staged coordinated protests across Tamil Nadu on Wednesday, vehemently condemning the Union government's decision to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with a new scheme named Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin), abbreviated as VB-G RAM G.
Accusations of Erasing Gandhi's Legacy
At a demonstration in Munichalai, Madurai, CPM state secretary P Shanmugam launched a sharp attack on the BJP-led government at the Centre. He accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration of holding a long-standing 'grudge' against the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi. Shanmugam argued that renaming the flagship rural job scheme is a deliberate step towards erasing Gandhi's influence from the nation's collective memory and historical narrative.
"If we allow this today, they (the BJP govt) won't hesitate to remove the image of Gandhi from our currency," Shanmugam warned. He claimed that since coming to power in 2014, the BJP government has systematically tried to undermine MGNREGA by reducing beneficiary numbers, shortening work schedules, delaying wage payments, and underfunding the scheme in state budgets. He questioned the rationale behind the change, asking what defect in the original act necessitated its replacement.
Concerns Over Funding and Practical Implementation
In Guntur, within Trichy district, Trichy MP Durai Vaiko echoed these sentiments, stating that endorsing the name change equates to being against the welfare of the impoverished. He rhetorically asked if any name could be more fitting for a scheme aimed at alleviating the struggles of the poor than that of Mahatma Gandhi. Durai Vaiko criticized the hasty passage of the VB-G RAM G scheme in Parliament and predicted significant hurdles during its rollout.
He highlighted a critical issue: the reduction of funding for the scheme by the Union government. He challenged the practicality of the new scheme's promise of 125 days of employment, pointing out that the previous MGNREGA often failed to deliver even 50 days of work. Durai Vaiko dismissed VB-G RAM G as "false guidance to a nonexistent destination, a baseless pledge and misleading programme."
Allegations of Systematic Dismantling and Financial Strangulation
At a protest in Vennamalai panchayat in Karur, former minister V Senthil Balaji leveled serious allegations against the Centre. He accused the Union government of attempting to "systematically dismantle" the 100-day employment guarantee under MGNREGA. Balaji claimed that the Centre had withheld a substantial ₹1,290 crore allocated for the MGNREGA scheme in Tamil Nadu, forcing the state government to dip into its own funds to keep welfare programs running.
In a poignant and charged statement, Senthil Balaji said, "By renaming the 100-day work scheme, the Centre has killed Gandhi a second time." This sentiment captured the core grievance of the protesting coalition—that the move is not merely administrative but a symbolic and substantive attack on a welfare program deeply associated with the ideals of the Father of the Nation.
The statewide protests underscore a significant political confrontation in Tamil Nadu, with opposition parties unifying to challenge the central government's policy shift, framing it as an assault on both social welfare and historical legacy.
