Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Monday described the controversy surrounding the Centre’s proposed renaming and restructuring of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) as “unfortunate,” even as the Opposition intensified its criticism of the move.
Responding to the debate over the proposed Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) or VB–G RAM Bill, 2025, Tharoor said the issue lay more in how the change was being framed rather than in the renaming itself. He cautioned against portraying the move as a rejection of Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy.
In a post on social media platform X, Tharoor argued that the principles being invoked by the government were not at odds with Gandhian thought. He pointed out that the ideas of Gram Swaraj and Ram Rajya were integral and complementary elements of Gandhi’s philosophy, rather than opposing concepts. According to Tharoor, projecting the proposed change as a break from Gandhi’s ideals ignored this philosophical harmony and risked creating divisions where none historically existed.
His remarks come at a time when the Congress and other Opposition parties are strongly opposing the government’s plan to repeal MGNREGA and replace it with a new rural employment framework aligned with the Viksit Bharat @2047 vision. The proposed scheme promises a statutory guarantee of 125 days of unskilled manual work per rural household annually, but also introduces structural changes, including increased financial responsibility for states and the creation of new central and state-level councils to oversee implementation.
Tharoor’s comments have also drawn attention within political circles due to their contrast with the Congress party’s official stand. His intervention coincides with questions being raised about his recent absences from key party meetings. The Kerala MP skipped a Congress Lok Sabha MPs’ meeting chaired by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi last week, citing prior commitments. On the same day, he was seen attending an event in Kolkata organised by the Prabha Khaitan Foundation.
In recent weeks, Tharoor has also missed other Congress meetings, citing travel and health reasons, while attending several high-profile events, including a lecture by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a state banquet hosted by President Droupadi Murmu for Russian President Vladimir Putin. These developments have added to speculation about his positioning within the party, even as he continues to articulate independent views on key policy debates.
Originally published on 24×7-news.com.
