'Remove Gandhi's photo from currency if you've guts': Shivakumar amid G Ram G Bill row
Opposition on Thursday staged a protest from the Gandhi statue to the Makkar Dawar in Parliament premises over the renaming of the MNREGA scheme.
Congress leader and deputy chief minister of Karnataka DK Shivakumar on Thursday said that no one can change the name of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA).
The Opposition staged a protest from the Gandhi statue to the Makkar Dawar in the Parliament premises over the renaming of the MNREGA programme to Viksit Bharat-G RAM G (Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission-Gramin).
The protest comes as Lok Sabha on Thursday cleared the VB-G Ram G Bill.
“If you have guts, you remove Mahatma Gandhi’s photo from the currency note..You can’t do it,” Shivakumar said.
Also read | ‘Is this what Bapu wanted?’ BJP tears into Opposition after 'G Ram G' Bill torn in Lok Sabha
What happened at the protest?
Several Congress MPs strongly objected to the renaming of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) and changes in the funding pattern.
Holding posters bearing the slogan "Will not tolerate the disrespect of Mahatma Gandhi" (Mahatma Gandhi ka apman nahi sahenge nahi sahenge), the oppositions MPs conducted a protest march at the Parliament premises today.
They also raised the issue of atrocities against minorities and protested at the Parliament premises.
What led to the protest?
The Lok Sabha on Thursday cleared the G Ram G Bill amid protest by the Opposition, members of which even tore copies of the legislation as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Shivraj Singh Chouhan spoke on it. On Wednesday, Lok Sabha saw a nearly 14-hour-long debate over the Bill.
While the opposition demanded that the proposed legislation be referred to the Standing Committee, BJP strongly defended the move, calling it an important step towards achieving the party's goal of a Viksit Bharat by 2047.
After BJP's proposed legislation, chief minister of West Bengal, Trinamool Congress (TMC)'s Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said her government would rename its rural job guarantee programme, Karmashree after Mahatma Gandhi, as she strongly slammed the BJP-led government at the Centre for seeking to replace the 20-year-old MNREGA with the VB-G RAM G scheme.
