CHENNAI: The INDIA bloc staged a protest in Chennai on Thursday, condemning the Centre's decision to drop "Mahatma Gandhi" from the name of the flagship rural employment guarantee scheme.
The demonstration organised by the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) near Tarapore Towers on Anna Salai saw large-scale participation from constituents of the bloc, including the Congress, DMK, Dravidar Kazhagam, and Makkal Needhi Maiam.
Addressing the gathering, TNCC chief Selvaperunthagai asserted that Gandhi’s legacy is inseparable from India. "As long as humanity exists, his name cannot be erased," he said, accusing PM Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and the RSS of deliberately provoking the public by targeting Gandhi's name and perpetuating a hatred that has persisted since his assassination.
DMK Organising Secretary RS Bharathi linked the move to a broader pattern. "From the day Prime Minister Modi assumed office, it has become routine to erase the names of national leaders and rewrite history," he stated. He alleged that the renaming is not merely symbolic but part of a "conspiracy to weaken and dismantle the scheme itself."
Dravidar Kazhagam President K Veeramani strongly condemned the action as part of the BJP’s agenda to implement RSS ideology. He criticised the BJP government as one "that functions against the Constitution and in opposition to social justice."
The protestors argued that the move to rename the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) disrespects the Father of the Nation and undermines a key welfare programme, vowing to continue their opposition against what they see as an attempt to alter national history and legacy.