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Priyanka Gandhi: On Saturday, Congress MP Vadra questioned the Center’s purported plan to rename the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), claiming that doing so would result in unnecessary public resource expenditure without providing any real benefit to the populace.

Her comments were made the day after it was reported that a bill that would have increased the number of guaranteed workdays and given the flagship rural employment program a new name had been approved by the Union Cabinet.

These sources claim that MGNREGA would be renamed the “Poojya Bapu Grameen Rozgar Yojna” and that the yearly job guarantee will increase from 100 to 125 days.

Priyanka Gandhi told reporters that she couldn’t get the reasoning for renaming a significant social program that had been in existence for over 20 years and had been implemented in 2005.

“I don’t comprehend the mindset that’s causing this. First of all, this is the name of Mahatma Gandhi. Secondly, when the name is changed, the government has to spend more money on it since everything has to be renamed. What’s the point of going through all this extraneously when it’s a lengthy and expensive process? She said to reporters, “I don’t understand.”

Congress MP Rajeev Shukla referred to the planned action as “unnecessary” and agreed with Priyanka Gandhi’s position.

Shukla told IANS, “Priyanka Gandhi brought up the question of why Mahatma Gandhi’s name is being taken down. ‘Bapu’ is a common name among Gujaratis. This step is being brought up even though it doesn’t appear required.

However, the BJP responded sharply to the criticism.

Priyanka Gandhi should back the move, according to BJP MP Brij Lal, who claims that the name honors Mahatma Gandhi rather than degrading his legacy.

“MGNREGA has been called after Bapu, and Priyanka Gandhi should embrace this as he is considered our Rashtrapita (Father of the Nation). Brij Lal told IANS, “But she has a problem with MGNREGA because she is a fake Gandhi; she has a problem with why the word ‘Gandhi’ has been removed.”

Rural families whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual labor are presently guaranteed at least 100 days of paid employment throughout a fiscal year under MGNREGA.

The program is open to any Indian citizen who is at least eighteen years old and lives in a rural region; employment must be offered within fifteen days of the request.

With equal pay for men and women, wages are deposited directly into bank or post office accounts. The scheme is run nationwide, with the exception of totally metropolitan areas.