Cong slams renaming of MGNREGA, says govt 'erasing' Gandhi legacy

THE Congress on Saturday criticised the Union government over the Cabinet's approval of a Bill to rename the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), alleging that the move reflects an attempt to erase Mahatma Gandhi's legacy and mask what it described as the Centre's neglect of the rural employment scheme.

- EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi

"Verghese added that the Centre has been trying to systematically erase the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi. MGNREGA workers are being denied wages and are being forced to work without remuneration," Verghese added.

Reacting to the development, Congress general secretary in-charge organisation K C Venugopal said the renaming was aimed at claiming credit for a programme that was conceived and implemented by the previous UPA government. He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier described MGNREGA as a "monument of failure".