Tamil Nadu farm labour union opposes move to drop Gandhi’s name from rural jobs law
A. Bhaskar alleged that organisations such as the RSS and the Hindu Mahasabha had historically refused to accept Gandhi and recalled that Gandhi, who respected all religions equally and dedicated his life to social harmony, was assassinated by Hindu extremist forces.
CHENNAI: AITUC-affiliated Tamil Nadu State Agricultural Labourers’ Association general secretary A. Bhaskar on Saturday strongly opposed the Union government’s decision to rename the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), terming it an expression of “deep-seated hatred” towards Mahatma Gandhi.
In a statement, Bhaskar recalled that the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act was enacted in 2005 by the UPA government following sustained initiatives by Left parties. The law provides a statutory right to 100 days of employment every year for agricultural labourers and rural worker families who depend solely on physical labour for their livelihood.
He said the scheme, which has drawn global attention as a pioneering welfare initiative, was named after Mahatma Gandhi and has for nearly two decades ensured employment for rural manual workers. The decision taken by the BJP-led Union government on December 12, 2025, to remove “Mahatma Gandhi” from the scheme’s name and rename it as “Poojya Babu Gramin Rozgar Yojana” was strongly objected to and rejected by the association, he said.
Bhaskar said Mahatma Gandhi, revered as the Father of the Nation, stood for secularism and non-violence, principles that continue to influence people worldwide. He alleged that organisations such as the RSS and the Hindu Mahasabha had historically refused to accept Gandhi and recalled that Gandhi, who respected all religions equally and dedicated his life to social harmony, was assassinated by Hindu extremist forces.
He further accused the Sangh Parivar of glorifying figures such as Savarkar and Nathuram Godse over the past 11 years and engaging in what he described as historical distortion. The move to rename the rural employment law, he said, was a continuation of this approach.
The association alleged that since coming to power, the BJP-led Union government had steadily weakened MGNREGA by undermining its implementation and was now attempting to erase it altogether by changing its name.
Condemning what he called a “venomous attack” on Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy, Bhaskar demanded that the Union government withdraw its decision to rename the Act. He also urged the Centre and the Prime Minister to increase guaranteed employment under the scheme to 200 days a year and fix the minimum daily wage at Rs 700.