Opposition Protests Against Renaming of MGNREGA Outside Parliament

New Delhi, Dec 2025 : Opposition parties on Tuesday staged a protest outside Parliament against the Centre’s move to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). Holding placards and raising slogans, the MPs expressed strong objections to the removal of Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the flagship rural employment programme.

Chanting slogans such as “Gandhiji ka ye apman, nahi sahega Hindustan” and “Mahatma Gandhi Amar Rahe,” Opposition members marched towards the statue of Mahatma Gandhi within the Parliament premises and continued their demonstration there.

The protest came in response to the introduction of the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G), 2025 Bill in the Lok Sabha. Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan introduced the Bill, which proposes to replace the existing MGNREGA, triggering immediate criticism from Opposition lawmakers.

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, speaking to reporters during the protest, questioned the rationale behind the renaming, saying, “The truth is that under the pretext of changing the scheme’s name, they want to scrap it. Why do they want to change the name of this scheme? Mahatma Gandhi is the Father of the Nation.”

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav also criticised the move, calling it illogical. “How will the change in the name benefit the farmers of the country? This politics of changing the name first started in Uttar Pradesh, and now it has arrived in Delhi also,” he remarked.

Congress General Secretary K.C. Venugopal termed the renaming “an insult to the Father of the Nation” and accused the ruling BJP of attempting to undermine a programme that has been a cornerstone of rural employment for nearly two decades. He said, “We are protesting because this is basically the anti-national attitude of the BJP to insult Mahatma Gandhi and kill the MGNREGA scheme.”

Samajwadi Party MP Awadhesh Prasad echoed similar sentiments, stating, “This is an insult to Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation. Lord Ram is respected across the country and the world. The ones who are insulting Lord Ram are these people (ruling party).”

Opposition parties collectively argued that the proposed replacement of MGNREGA and the removal of Mahatma Gandhi’s name reflected a broader attempt to dilute the impact of a critical employment guarantee programme that has benefited millions of rural households across India.

They maintained that the scheme has not only provided livelihood security but also strengthened rural development, and any move to rename or restructure it must not compromise its core objectives.

The protest highlighted widespread opposition to the renaming decision, raising questions about the government’s approach toward one of India’s longest-standing social welfare initiatives.

Team Maverick