If you dont respect Gandhiji, we will: West Bengal CM Mamata to rename govt-funded job guarantee scheme
KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said that her government would rename a state-funded job guarantee scheme after Mahatma Gandhi, amidst the ongoing row over the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill (G RAM G Bill 2025). The chief minister was addressing in a business and industry conclave in Kolkata today. Now, Gandhijis name is not there in the Bill. I am really sorry and feel ashamed of the move. A Bill has been introduced in the parliament. Gandhijis name will not be there in the NREGA scheme, which was named after him. We are forgetting the name of the Father of the Nation. I cannot blame anybody except me because I belong to this country, Mamata said. The Lok Sabha, during the ongoing winter session of the parliament, today passed the VB-G RAM G Bill, which seeks to replace the Congress-led United Progressive Allianceera (UPA) Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 (MGNREGA) that guarantees employment in rural areas. We launched a scheme called Karmashree in our state. This scheme will be renamed after Gandhiji. We are providing more than 75 days of job under this scheme. We are not beggars. We only want respect and nothing else. If you dont give respect to Gandhiji, we will give him the due respect, she added. The opposition, led by the Congress, has claimed that by withdrawing MGNREGA, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre is insulting Mahatma Gandhi and diluting the provisions of the Act. Reacting to the announcement, BJP state president and Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya said the Bill was introduced to respect Mahatma Gandhi. She alleged, The Central Government has been using its investigating agencies like Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against industrialists and businessmen and harassing them. They are creating an environment of terror in Bengal. The Central Government by using its agencies against the investors has been obstructing industrial development in the state. Fake negative campaigns against the industrialisation process are being initiated to defame the state, she claimed in a conclave where industry honchos were present.
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