Source NDTV
Senior Congress leader and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor on Sunday criticised calls to rename the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), saying any move to drop Mahatma Gandhi’s name would amount to dishonouring his legacy and undermining the values the scheme represents.
Reacting to renewed political debate over the welfare programme’s name, Tharoor said MGNREGA is not just a government scheme but a landmark social safety net rooted in Gandhian ideals of dignity of labour and rural empowerment. “Mahatma Gandhi’s name symbolises moral authority, compassion for the poor and commitment to social justice. Let’s not dishonour his legacy by erasing it from one of India’s most transformative programmes,” he said.
The Congress MP pointed out that MGNREGA has provided livelihood security to millions of rural households, especially during periods of economic distress, natural disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic. He argued that the scheme’s association with Gandhi reinforces its core objective of ensuring work with dignity for the poorest citizens.
Tharoor also cautioned against what he described as a tendency to “rewrite or rename” initiatives for political reasons, stressing that continuity and respect for historical context are essential in a democracy. “Governments may change, but institutions and programmes that serve the people should rise above partisan politics,” he said.
MGNREGA, enacted in 2005, guarantees at least 100 days of wage employment in a financial year to every rural household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work. Over the years, it has become one of the world’s largest employment programmes.
The debate over renaming the scheme has resurfaced amid broader political discussions on rebranding government initiatives. However, opposition leaders maintain that removing Mahatma Gandhi’s name would dilute the scheme’s ethos and ignore its historical significance.
Tharoor urged policymakers to focus instead on strengthening implementation, ensuring timely wage payments and enhancing transparency. “The real tribute to Mahatma Gandhi lies in making the programme work better for those who depend on it,” he added.
