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: The 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 Scheme (MGNREGS), terming it an expression of “deep-seated hatred” towards Mahatma Gandhi.
In a statement, Bhaskar recalled that the NREG 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.
“The scheme, which has drawn global attention as a pioneering welfare initiative, is named after Mahatma Gandhi and has ensured employment for rural manual workers for nearly 20 years. We strongly object to, and also reject, the decision taken by the Union government on December 12 to remove ‘Mahatma Gandhi’ from the scheme’s name and rename it as ‘Pujya Bapu Gramin Rozgar Yojana’,” he said.
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.
“The Sangh Parivar has been glorifying figures such as Savarkar and Nathuram Godse over the past 11 years and engaging in historical distortion. The move to rename the rural employment law is a continuation of this approach,” he stated.
The association accused the BJP-led Union government of steadily weakening MGNREGS by undermining its implementation since coming to power, and attempting to erase it altogether by changing its name.
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 jobs under the scheme to 200 days a year and fix the minimum daily wage at Rs 700.
