New Delhi [India], December 13 : Congress MP Jairam Ramesh on Saturday tore into the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), questioning their concerns with the name 'Mahatma Gandhi' over the reports of renaming of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) as the "Pujya Bapu Rural Employment Scheme."
Speaking to ANI, Jairam Ramesh stated that the BJP government is an expert in renaming schemes and laws. He recalled when the government renamed Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan to Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and the rural LPG distribution program to Ujjwala, further claiming that the BJP allegedly hate Mahatma Gandhi and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.
"The PM Modi government is an expert at renaming schemes and laws; nobody can match them. They renamed the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan to Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, and the rural LPG distribution program to Ujjwala... They are experts in packaging, branding, and naming. Surprisingly, while they hate Pandit Nehru, they also seem to hate Mahatma Gandhi. The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act has been in effect since 2005... and now you are renaming it to Pujya Bapu Employment Guarantee Scheme. What's wrong with the name Mahatma Gandhi?..." the Congress MP said.
Meanwhile, on similar lines, Congress MP Pramod Tiwari also criticised the government, raising strong objections to the removal of Mahatma Gandhi's name from the scheme.
He also alleged that the BJP government has hate and disgust for Mahatma Gandhi and deep admiration for Nathuram Godse, the Hindu nationalist who assassinated Mahatma Gandhi on January 30, 1948.
"I don't know why the BJP has so much fear, hatred and disgust for Mahatma Gandhi and love for Godse... There are many Gandhis that the BJP is scared of...They have changed its (MGNREGA) name to Bapu. Some saints also call themselves Bapu..." he stated.
MGNREGA, is an employment scheme under the Ministry of Rural Development that provides at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year to every rural household whose adult members volunteer for unskilled work.
Any Indian citizen aged 18 or above and residing in a rural area can apply to this scheme. The applicant receives guaranteed employment within 15 days of the date of application.
The wage is deposited directly into the Bank Account / Post Office Account of the applicant. Wages are paid within a week or, at most, within fifteen days. Men and Women are paid equally. MGNREGA covers the entire country with the exception of districts that have a hundred per cent urban population.