Itanagar, Dec 21 (UNI) The Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) today organised a peaceful protest rally at the IG Park Tennis Court in Itanagar, opposing the BJP-led central government’s decision to rename the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) as the VB-G Ram G Bill, 2025.
Addressing the gathering, APCC President Bosiram Siram strongly condemned the move, describing it as unnecessary, politically motivated and an attempt to erase the historic legacy of the Congress Party and Mahatma Gandhi.
He asserted that MGNREGA is not merely a welfare scheme but a rights-based legislation enacted by Parliament, aimed at ensuring livelihood security, dignity of labour and social justice for the rural poor.
Siram alleged that instead of strengthening MGNREGA through adequate funding, timely wage payments and expansion of work opportunities, the BJP Government was indulging in symbolic renaming to divert attention from its administrative failures. “No change of name can dilute the pro-people spirit and constitutional foundation of MGNREGA,” he said.
APCC Vice President, Advocate Abraham Techi, termed the renaming an affront to democratic values and parliamentary tradition. He alleged that the BJP’s focus on renaming welfare schemes reflects its inability to address unemployment, rising prices and rural distress. Warning against any dilution of MGNREGA’s rights-based framework, he said such attempts would be strongly resisted by the Congress Party and the INDIA bloc.
Mina Toko, Vice President, APCC, highlighted the adverse impact of government policies on rural women, job card holders and marginalised communities. She said MGNREGA has been a lifeline for millions of households, especially women, and urged the Centre to ensure 100 days of guaranteed work, fair wages and transparency, rather than renaming a scheme that has transformed rural livelihoods.
The protest rally witnessed enthusiastic participation from APCC state office-bearers, members of various cells and departments, the City Congress Committee, the Papum Pare District Congress Committee, and a large number of party leaders and workers, reflecting widespread opposition to the proposed renaming.
APCC reiterated its firm demand that the Central Government immediately withdraw the VB-G Ram G Bill, 2025, retain the name and spirit of MGNREGA, and strengthen the scheme in the interest of rural workers and the poor.
The party reaffirmed its commitment to protect people’s rights and to continue democratic protests against what it termed anti-people and anti-poor policies of the BJP Government.
