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The Congress strongly criticised reports suggesting that the Centre is considering renaming the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) as the Pujya Bapu Rural Employment Scheme on Saturday, accusing the government of attempting to rewrite history and undermine Mahatma Gandhi's legacy.
Reacting to the reports, Congress MP Akhilesh Prasad Singh said the move reflected a larger pattern. "The Indian government is changing the entire history," he remarked, expressing concern over what he described as a systematic attempt to alter established symbols and narratives. Echoing similar sentiments, Congress MP Tariq Anwar said the reported decision was deeply unfortunate and politically motivated. "It seems that they hate the name Gandhi. This decision will hurt the sentiments of those who believe in Mahatma Gandhi and his ideology," he said. Commenting on remarks made earlier by former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, Anwar added that leaders who had left the Congress would eventually realise their mistake. "Whatever he said is correct, as the BJP is a two-leader party. One is Narendra Modi, and the other is Amit Shah. There is no third leader," he said. The reported renaming proposal has drawn criticism from several opposition leaders, who argue that the focus should be on strengthening the rural employment scheme rather than altering its name. MGNREGA, launched in 2005, is regarded as one of the flagship welfare programmes aimed at providing guaranteed employment to rural households. Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also questioned the rationale behind the reported move, pointing to the financial burden associated with renaming a nationwide scheme. Speaking to reporters on Saturday, she said the exercise would lead to unnecessary expenditure of public money. "From offices to stationery, everything has to be renamed, so this is a big, costly process. So what's the benefit of doing this unnecessarily? I can't understand," she said, describing the move as wasteful and avoidable. Earlier, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi criticised the Centre, terming the reported renaming a "distraction" designed to divert public attention from pressing issues. She also said it amounted to disrespect towards the legacy associated with the Gandhi name. While the government has not officially confirmed any decision, the reports have sparked a political debate. (ANI)
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