Opposition protests in Parliament complex over renaming of MGNREGA, Sonia Gandhi joins march

New Delhi: Amid the marathon debate in the Parliament over renaming of MGNREGA to VB-G RAM G, Congress MPs and several Opposition leaders held a demonstration outside the complex on Thursday, to register their protest over Centre’s “dictatorial approach” in repealing a law, that has been instrumental in transforming crores of lives in vast rural swathes of India.

Congress MPs led by party president Mallikarjun Kharge held a march from the Gandhi Statue to Makar Dwar inside the Parliament premises, to protest renaming of the UPA-era scheme. Sonia Gandhi also joined the march, demanding a rollback of the new legislation that seeks to replace MGNREGA.

The Opposition lawmakers carried posters and placards, with photos of Mahatma Gandhi inscribed on them and raised slogans — “Mahatma Gandhi ka apman nahin sahenge, nahin sahenge” (won’t tolerate insult to Mahatma Gandhi).

They said that this was not just an affront to the Father of the Nation by the Modi government, but also a brazen attempt to snatch the Right to Work, which brought socio-economic changes in lakhs of villages across the country.

Congress president vowed to launch a pan-India protest, from the Parliament to the streets, against the “tyranny of the ruling dictatorial government” and claimed that the Centre was not just erasing the gamechanger scheme but also crushing the poor’s right to work under MGNREGA, a guaranteed 100-day employment, given to peasants and landless labourers, during the UPA dispensation.

Kharge, speaking to scribes, said, “This is not about changing names. This is about snatching the right to work, particularly for those belonging to weak, marginalized communities and of Dalit classes.

“Our party will hold demonstrations and protest marches across the country against this autocratic government. Our workers will resist any attempt to deprive the poor people of their right to work, and it will take place in all districts and states,” he further stated.

Notably, the renaming of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) to VB G RAM G has kicked off a major controversy, with many Opposition MPs taking exception to the removal of Mahatma Gandhi’s name, stating that it will strip the scheme of its moral compass and also the government’s commitment to serve the poor and downtrodden classes.

IANS