Congress, CPI(M) protest removal of Gandhi’s name from MGNREGA

Leaders and activists of the Congress and CPI(M) on Friday (December 19) staged separate demonstrations in Tirupati, condemning the Union government’s decision to remove the name of Mahatma Gandhi from the MGNREGA scheme.

“The scheme brought by the Congress was meant to provide work and income to the rural poor. The BJP-led NDA government has belittled the well-intended scheme,” said Congress Tirupati City president Goudaperu Chittibabu.

Mahatma Gandhi remained synonymous with local self-government, but with this act, the incumbent government killed the spirit of self-governance, the protesters said.

Meanwhile, the CPI(M) district committee members staged a separate demonstration not only against the removal of Gandhi’s name, but also against the change of the scheme’s framework, which, the party alleged, burdened the States.