"Ram belongs to everyone... removing Mahatma Gandhi's name is unfair": Congress leader V Hanumantha Rao on MGNREGA row

Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], January 12 (ANI): Amid the political row over the repeal of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and its replacement with the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G), senior Congress leader V Hanumantha Rao on Monday criticised the move, calling the removal of Mahatma Gandhi's name unjust.
Speaking on the controversy, Hanumantha Rao said, "Ram belongs to everyone. Removing Mahatma Gandhi's name is unfair, as he fought for India's freedom. Leaders like Subhash Chandra Bose and Nelson Mandela praised Mahatma Gandhi, and they removed his name."
The remarks come as the Congress has intensified its attack on the Centre over the newly enacted VB-G RAM G Act. Earlier on Sunday, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Pramod Tiwari alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had deliberately removed Mahatma Gandhi's name from the rural employment scheme to undermine his legacy.
Addressing the media in Prayagraj, Tiwari had said the issue was not merely about renaming a scheme but about erasing Gandhi's contribution to the nation. He alleged that while changing the name would have been acceptable if it reflected inclusivity, the intent was only to remove Gandhi's name. Tiwari further claimed that the move would "halt rural development" and described the amendment as "unfortunate."
The controversy has triggered protests by Congress workers across Uttar Pradesh. On Sunday, party workers staged demonstrations under the banner 'MGNREGA Bachao Sangram' at Townhall Park in Varanasi. Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai, along with party workers, observed a symbolic fast near the statues of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar.
"We are on a fast. Around the Mahatma Gandhi and Bhimrao Ambedkar statue, we are sitting on a fast. This government ended the MGNREGA law, and to protest that each of our Congress workers is sitting on the streets," Rai told ANI.
He added that the party would intensify its agitation and organise rallies across Uttar Pradesh, culminating in a major rally in Lucknow to be attended by Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and other senior leaders.
Earlier, on January 3, the Congress had announced a nationwide three-phase agitation titled 'MGNREGA Bachao' following the enactment of the VB-G RAM G Act. President Droupadi Murmu recently gave assent to the VB-G RAM G Bill, 2025, marking a significant shift in the Centre's rural employment policy. (ANI)