Bhopal, Dec 17 (IANS) A single-day special session convened to mark the 70th anniversary of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly on Wednesday began on a stormy note, with Congress legislators protesting the Centre’s move to rename the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

Led by Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar, Congress MLAs assembled near the statue of Mahatma Gandhi on the Assembly premises and staged a protest against the proposed renaming of the scheme as ‘Viksit Bharat G RAM G’.

Addressing the media during the protest, Singhar accused the Centre of disrespecting Mahatma Gandhi.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi promotes Mahatma Gandhi’s charkha, but his government is now removing Gandhi’s name from one of the country’s most important welfare schemes. This is an insult to the Father of the Nation, which the Congress will not accept,” he said.

The ruling BJP, however, strongly defended the Centre’s decision, accusing the Congress of exploiting Mahatma Gandhi’s name for political gains. BJP leaders also alleged that corruption had taken place under MGNREGA during Congress rule, which, they claimed, amounted to disrespect towards Gandhi’s ideals.

BJP MLA Rameshwar Sharma, representing the Huzur Assembly constituency in Bhopal, said the BJP believed in implementing Gandhi’s principles rather than merely invoking his name.

“The Congress has repeatedly used Mahatma Gandhi’s name, made promises in his name, but failed to deliver houses to the poor. We follow Gandhi’s thoughts and work on the ground,” Sharma told IANS.

Sharma further claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken concrete steps to realise Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of Ram Rajya.

“The BJP government has constructed the Ram Temple, provided permanent houses to poor families, issued health insurance cards worth Rs 5 lakh, and honoured farmers,” he said.

The Centre has introduced a Bill in Parliament to replace the MGNREGA scheme with a new programme titled ‘The Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Grameen)’, abbreviated as VB G RAM G. A whip has been issued to BJP MPs to ensure the Bill’s passage.

Launched by the UPA government in 2005, MGNREGA guarantees 100 days of wage employment to rural households and has been widely regarded as a landmark social security programme over the past two decades.

–IANS

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