“Will not tolerate disrespect of Mahatma Gandhi”: Oppn MPs protest MNREGA renaming in Parliament premises

NEw new delhi: united states congress leaders and several oppositeness MPs on th held a resist from the Gandhi statue to the Makkar Dawar in the Parliament prenises over renaming of the MNREGA to the VB G RAM G.The MPs conducted a march holding posters bearing the slogan “Will not tolerate the disrespect of Mahatma Gandhi” (Mahatma Gandhi ka apman nahi sahenge nahi sahenge).Opposition MPs also raised the issue of atrocities against minorities and protested on the Parliament premises.Yesterday, the Lok Sabha saw a nearly 14-hour debate over the Viksit Bharat-G RAM G (Gramin Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission) Amendment Bill, with the opposition demanding that the proposed legislation be referred to the Standing Committee, even as the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) strongly defended the Bill, terming it a decisive step towards achieving a Viksit Bharat by 2047.Several Congress MPs strongly objected to the renaming of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) and changes in the funding pattern.Congress MP K Suresh urged the House to send the Bill to the Standing Committee, describing it as “important” and warranting deeper scrutiny. He said the length and intensity of the debate itself underlined the significance of the legislation.“This is an important bill, which is why the House has discussed it for so long. More than 98 members from both sides participated in this debate. The opposition party strongly opposes this bill. The INDIA bloc demanded that this bill be sent to the Standing Committee,” Suresh said, adding that the House would take up a discussion on air pollution today.Congress MP Vamsi Krishna Gaddam said the government’s intentions were becoming clear through what he termed “unnecessary decisions.”“All of us in the country love Mahatma Gandhi, except the BJP. It is sad to know that the name of Mahatma Gandhi is being removed from this scheme, and 40 per cent of the funding will now be done by the state government, as against 100 per cent central funding earlier,” he said, alleging that the BJP and RSS ideology was against the interests of the people.Congress MP Praniti Shinde accused the government of rushing the legislation. “The discussion is still going on, and the discussion time has also been extended. They are probably in a hurry to pass this bill. Congress is firmly opposed to the name change. They want to erase Mahatma Gandhi’s name and rewrite the country’s history. This bill has been weakened,” she said.Meanwhile, the 6th Session of the 18th Lok Sabha will convene at 11 am on Thursday to discuss a range of legislative, policy, and committee matters, with a special focus on air pollution in the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) under Rule 193.MPs Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, and Bansuri Swaraj will raise concerns over the deteriorating air pollution and its impact on public health in the Delhi National Capital Region (NCR).The House will begin proceedings with obituary references to the passing of former MPs Darur Pullaiah, Prof. Mahadeorao Shiwankar, Kusuma Krishna Murthy, and Shamanur Shivashankarappa. Following this, members will submit questions scheduled for discussion, and relevant ministers will provide answer