"Takes out the heart": Cong MP Shashi Tharoor on renaming MGNREGA

New Delhi [India], December 19 (ANI): Congress MP Shashi Tharoor expressed strong disapproval over the renaming of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), saying the move "takes out the heart of the entire Mahatma Gandhi rural employment program."
The remarks came as Parliament passed the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, with the Rajya Sabha approving the legislation following Lok Sabha's nod.
Speaking to mediapersons, Tharoor said, "We are unhappy about that for various reasons. It really takes out the heart of the entire Mahatma Gandhi rural employment program..."
On Tuesday, Tharoor claimed that attempting to include "Ram" while removing Mahatma Gandhi's name is a disrespect to both names.
Referencing an iconic Kishore Kumar song from the 1970s titled 'Ram ka Naam Badnam Na Karo', Tharoor opposed the inclusion of multiple languages in the bill (Hindi and English), while the Constitution calls for only one language to be used.
"For Mahatma Gandhi, Gram Swaraj and Ram Rajya ek hi hai, toh isme Mahatma Gandhi ka naam hatana theek nahi tha, aur hatane ke baad yeh constitution ke viroodh hai, strictly speaking, aur eske baad G Ram G kehena. Ram ka naam toh bahut dusre context mein istemaal kar sakenge. Magar Mahatma Gandhi ka naam hatane ke liye, islliye mene kaha ki who Ram ka naam badnaam kar rahe hai. (The Bill's name is not right because 2 languages have been used while one language should be used according to the constitution. Removing Mahatma Gandhi's name is not inherently problematic, but they used multiple languages to include 'RAM' in it. This is not a serious matter. Mahatma Gandhi used to speak about Ram Rajya, and the vision of Ram Rajya and Gram Swaraj was one for him. Ram Rajya will prevail in our country when Gram Swaraj is there... We can use the name of Lord Ram in various contexts, but removing Mahatma Gandhi's name? This is why I said don't insult the name of Lord Ram, but they did the same," Tharoor said.
He further noted that the Central government has unnecessarily added multiple words in multiple languages.
"By using two languages, they have used the words Guarantee, Rozgar (employment), and Ajeevika (livelihood) and then in the middle, ' and' is also included, so they wanted to include 'G RAM G' in this," he said.
Meanwhile, members of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) are staging a 12-hour dharna (sit-in protest) against the passing of the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, 2025, also known as the VB-G RAM G Bill.
The dharna is taking place outside Samvidhan Sadan in the Parliament complex against the Bill. This bill was passed in the Lok Sabha on December 18, 2025, and subsequently cleared by the Rajya Sabha early on December 19, amid significant opposition.
With the passage of the VB-G RAM G Bill in both Houses and the Upper House adjourning until Friday afternoon, the passage was marked by protests from the Opposition benches, with members objecting to the manner in which the government pushed it through.
The Lok Sabha passed the bill amid protests, with opposition MPs tearing copies and throwing them in the air. The government maintains the bill will strengthen rural employment and livelihoods.
The Bill guarantees 125 days of wage employment per rural household, up from the existing 100 days, for adult members willing to undertake unskilled manual work.
As per Section 22 of the Bill, the fund-sharing pattern between the Central Government and the State Governments will be 60:40, while for the North Eastern States, Himalayan States, and Union Territories (Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir), it will be 90:10.
Section 6 of the Bill allows the state governments to notify in advance, a period aggregating to sixty days in a financial year, covering the peak agricultural seasons of sowing and harvesting.
Opposing the Bill, Congress announced a series of nationwide protests on December 17, accusing the BJP and RSS of attempting to "dismantle rights-based welfare". (ANI)