Tharoor's poetic plea: 'Don't tarnish Ram's name' amid Lok sabha uproar over MGNREGA's name change

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu) : A heated debate erupted in Parliament over a bill to rename the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA) to VBG RAMG. Former Union Minister and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor openly opposed the bill and questioned the government's intentions.

Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Tharoor poetically said, "Look, you crazy people, don't do this, don't defame the name of Ram." He strongly objected to the removal of Mahatma Gandhi's name from the scheme, saying that removing Gandhiji's name from the country's largest employment scheme is an injustice to its original purpose and legacy. Opposition MPs applauded Tharoor's remarks by thumping the tables. The bill sparked several uproars in the House, with the opposition calling it an attempt to change the identity of a public-facing scheme.

He said that simply writing "Ji Ram Ji" (Lord Ram) is not right. He called it a step backwards. Mahatma Gandhi's Ramrajya was not just a political program, but a socio-economic blueprint. It was part of his concept of social empowerment and Gram Swaraj. It was an effort to bring the most marginalized in society into the mainstream. This violates the principle of equality enshrined in Article 14. The 40 percent financial burden placed on the states will create significant difficulties for poor states. They will face difficulties in implementing welfare schemes for their own states. This will also hurt the federal spirit.

Earlier, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi had called for the bill to be referred to a Select Committee. She said, "The new bill that replaces the MNREGA law weakens the rights of rural workers under the law."