BJP ally and AIADMK Chief Edappadi K Palaniswami has demanded that the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) continue without any change in its name, sharpening the political confrontation in Tamil Nadu over the Centre's move to rename the flagship rural employment scheme originally launched by the Congress-led UPA government.
While welcoming the Union government's proposal to increase the number of guaranteed work days from 100 to 125, EPS trained fire on the ruling DMK, accusing Chief Minister MK Stalin of failing to honour a key electoral promise. "In the 2021 Assembly election manifesto, Stalin promised to increase MGNREGA work from 100 days to 150 days and to raise wages. After coming to power by securing people's votes, that promise has not been fulfilled till date," EPS said in a post on X.
EPS also questioned why the Chief Minister, in his sharp attack on the Centre, did not address the unfulfilled assurance. "After deceiving the people, what moral right does he have to speak of betrayal?" the AIADMK leader asked, even as he urged the Union government to retain Mahatma Gandhi's name for the scheme.
The issue erupted after Stalin accused the BJP-led Union government of systematically weakening MGNREGA by removing Mahatama Gandhi's name, imposing a "hard-to-pronounce Hindi name," and allegedly cutting the Centre's funding share. "Driven by hostility towards Mahatma Gandhi, the Union government has dropped his name and forced a Sanskritised name that does not even enter one's mouth," Stalin said, warning that Tamil Nadu could be penalised despite being among the best-performing states in poverty alleviation.
Stalin also took aim at the AIADMK's silence, asking whether the party that carries the name of CN Annadurai - who famously led the anti-Hindi imposition movement - was hesitant to oppose the Centre. Drawing parallels with the AIADMK's earlier support to the now-repealed farm laws, Stalin asked whether EPS would once again say "yes, sir" to the Union government on the MGNREGA issue.
"The people of Tamil Nadu are asking what stand the AIADMK has taken on VBGRAMG," the Chief Minister said, questioning whether the party would accept a model where conditions are dictated by the Centre while states are asked to shoulder a larger financial burden.
The sharp exchange has left the BJP in an awkward position, with its key ally publicly opposing the name change even as the DMK escalates its attack.
