MP Raghunandan Rao criticizes Congress’ ‘Save MGNREGA’ protest as election stunt

Medak MP Raghunandan Rao strongly criticized the Congress party’s ‘Save MGNREGA’ protest, calling it a political drama aimed purely at elections. He alleged that Congress is using Mahatma Gandhi’s name for political gain.

The comments come after Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced that the party would launch a nationwide ‘Save Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA)’ campaign starting January 5.

Raghunandan Rao questioned Congress’ claim to Gandhi’s legacy, asking how many welfare schemes under its 55 years of governance were actually named after Mahatma Gandhi. He suggested that comparisons could only be made after reviewing official records of programs named after leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, and Rajiv Gandhi.

He highlighted that under the BJP government, MGNREGA has been strengthened by increasing both the number of workdays and wages for workers. “We have modified the program in line with Gandhi’s vision of Ram Rajya and renamed it the ‘VB-G Ram G’ scheme. Congress has no real respect for Gandhi. They just dislike the mention of Lord Rama’s name,” Raghunandan Rao said, referring to Congress leaders’ alleged biases. He also suggested that Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar should first resolve internal political issues before launching nationwide campaigns.

Raghunandan Rao reiterated that the ‘Save MGNREGA’ movement is purely an election gimmick. He said that if Congress truly respected Gandhi, it would have named more welfare schemes after him rather than limiting recognition to Indira and Rajiv Gandhi. He added that leaders like Lal Bahadur Shastri and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel have been largely ignored by Congress, accusing the party of exploiting Gandhi’s name for political benefit.

Meanwhile, Congress has accused the central government of weakening MGNREGA. On December 21, President Droupadi Murmu approved the new ‘VB-G Ram G Bill-2025’, replacing the previous law. The government stated that the updated legislation increases wage employment guarantees to 125 days per year for rural households and focuses on comprehensive rural development, self-reliance, and equitable growth.