Congress cadre on Saturday protested the removal of Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme in Secunderabad.
Congress leaders, including ministers, said the BJP “shudders at the mere mention of Gandhi’s name” and accused the party of trying to erase the contributions of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru from the nation’s collective memory.
In protest against the removal of Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA), the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) on the call of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) staged a demonstration at the Gandhi statue in Secunderabad.
TPCC president and MLC Mahesh Kumar Goud slammed the BJP-led central government for what he called an “anti-democratic and vindictive decision”. He claimed that BJP leaders were uncomfortable with the legacy of the Gandhi family.
He claimed that the BJP’s move to remove Gandhi’s name from the employment guarantee scheme was rooted in its ideological affinity with Nathuram Godse. He recalled that the system was introduced after the persistent efforts of Sonia Gandhi and the then Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to provide 100 days of guaranteed employment to rural households.
He pointed out that Vedma Bojju, who later became an MLA, once worked under the Employment Guarantee Scheme, highlighting the role of the scheme in empowering the poor.
IT and Industries Minister Sridhar Babu said that the name of Mahatma Gandhi is etched in the hearts of people and cannot be erased by any government decision.
Tourism Minister Jupally Krishna Rao said the move harms the dignity of every Indian and undermines the historic plan introduced by the Congress to support the poorest of the poor.
Ministers Vakiti Srihari, Vivek Venkataswamy, Ponnam Prabhakar and Mohammad Azharuddin, former MP V. Hanumantha Rao, MLA Vedma Bojju, TPCC general secretaries, senior leaders and party cadres also participated in the protest.
Published – 20 Dec 2025 20:19 IST
