Congress MP Rajeev Shukla criticised the reported move to rename the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) as Pujya Bapu Gramin Rozgar Yojana, calling the step unnecessary and questioning the rationale behind dropping Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the landmark scheme.

Reacting to the issue, Shukla said, “I saw Priyanka Gandhi raising the issue about why Mahatma Gandhi name is being removed. Many people in Gujarat have the name ‘Bapu’. This step seems unnecessary, but still it is being brought up...”

The Congress leader said MNREGA is globally recognised and deeply associated with Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals of dignity of labour and rural empowerment. He argued that changing the name could create confusion and divert attention from addressing real challenges related to rural employment, wages, and implementation of the scheme.