West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has strongly criticized the Union government for replacing Mahatma Gandhi’s name in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with the Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB–G RAM G) Bill.
Addressing an administrative meeting in Kolkata on December 22, Mamata said, “They removed the name of the father of the nation and brought in Ram Naam… I am not against Ram Naam, it is an epic… But now, like chanting it during cremations, they are taking the country towards its end after removing Gandhiji’s name.”
The VB–G RAM G Bill, passed in both Houses of Parliament and assented by President Droupadi Murmu, replaces the 2005 MGNREGA. The move has triggered protests nationwide, with opposition MPs staging a walkout during the Bill’s passage.
In response, Mamata Banerjee’s government renamed West Bengal’s state job guarantee scheme from ‘Karmashree’ to ‘Mahatma-Shree’ to honor Gandhiji and oppose the Centre’s renaming.
MGNREGA funds in West Bengal have been suspended since April 2022 over alleged corruption, though the Supreme Court and Calcutta High Court earlier this year directed the scheme’s resumption. Workers, however, continue to wait for the 100-day employment program to restart.
