CHENNAI: Strongly opposing reports that the Union government plans to rename the MGNREGS, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K Selvaperunthagai on Saturday accused the BJP-led Centre of attempting to erase the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru for political reasons.

Selvaperunthagai said the scheme was renamed after Mahatma Gandhi in 2009 in recognition of his lifelong commitment to the upliftment of the poor. Alleging that the Union Cabinet has approved a proposal to rename the scheme, Selvaperunthagai said the move reflected what he described as the RSS and BJP’s ideological hostility towards Mahatma Gandhi. He accused the BJP of repeatedly showing disrespect to national leaders, including Jawaharlal Nehru, and warned that such attempts to distort history would not succeed.

He further said that erecting statues or making symbolic gestures could not conceal what he termed the BJP’s divisive politics. Removing Gandhi’s name from the scheme was unnecessary and unacceptable, he said. “The people of India will not forgive this insult to the Father of the Nation,” Selvaperunthagai added.