Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has raised a pointed critique of the Centre’s reported plan to rename the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), describing the move as an exercise in unnecessary expenditure that adds little value for the people it seeks to serve.
Her remarks come a day after reports emerged that the Union cabinet had approved a Bill proposing to rechristen the flagship rural employment scheme as the “Poojya Bapu Grameen Rozgar Yojna”, while simultaneously increasing the guaranteed workdays from 100 to 125 annually.
Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Priyanka Gandhi expressed bewilderment at the logic of renaming a programme that has served the nation for nearly two decades. “I cannot understand the mentality behind this. First, this is Mahatma Gandhi’s name. Second, changing the name means government resources will be spent all over again — everything needs to be renamed, printed, and rebranded. This is a big process that costs money. What is the point of doing this unnecessarily?” she said, her words laced with both concern and incredulity.
Supporting her stance, Congress MP Rajeev Shukla described the renaming exercise as equally superfluous. “I saw Priyanka Gandhi questioning why Mahatma Gandhi’s name is being removed. In Gujarat, many people affectionately call him ‘Bapu’. This step seems unnecessary, yet it is being brought forward,” Shukla said.
The proposal, however, drew a sharp rebuttal from the BJP. BJP MP Brij Lal argued that the renaming was intended to honour Mahatma Gandhi rather than diminish his legacy. “MGNREGA has been renamed after Bapu, our revered Rashtrapita. This should be supported — even by Priyanka Gandhi. But she seems to have an issue with MGNREGA because she is a fake Gandhi,” Lal said, his statement adding a charged political edge to the debate.
MGNREGA, since its inception in 2005, guarantees at least 100 days of wage employment in a financial year to rural households whose adult members volunteer for unskilled manual work. Any Indian citizen aged 18 or above residing in a rural area is eligible to apply, with employment required to be provided within 15 days of demand. Wages are credited directly into bank or post office accounts, ensuring equal pay for men and women, and the programme is implemented across the country except in fully urban districts.
With the renaming debate now entering the public sphere, the discussion over whether symbolism and homage justify large-scale administrative expenditure has gained fresh momentum — and as Priyanka Gandhi’s remarks underline, even venerated names cannot shield policy decisions from scrutiny.
