Hindi mixed with English to create rhyme, renaming of MGNREGA sounds "very absurd": RJD MP Manoj Jha
Dec 18, 2025
New Delhi [India], December 18 : RJD MP Manoj Jha on Thursday criticised the renaming of MGNREGA, saying that mixing Hindi and English to create a rhyme makes it sound "very absurd".
Manoj Jha said that there is no objection to the name of Ram, but the focus should be on discussing real issues rather than symbolic changes.
"This is the first time I'm seeing this kind of rhyming, where Hindi and English are mixed to create a rhyme, which makes it sound very absurd. There's no objection to the name Ram, but some people who used Ram's name are now in jail for their actions, and some have even been hanged. What's important is that we discuss the issues. A demand-driven program has become a command-driven program," Manoj Jha said.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday announced that the Karmashree scheme of the state government will be named after Mahatma Gandhi as a response to the Centre's VB-G RAM-G Bill replacing MGNREGA.
She said, "We have also started the Karmashree project, as MNREGA funds have also been stopped. Removal of Gandhiji's name fills me with deep shame. They are forgetting the father of the nation. We have decided to rename our Karmashree scheme after Mahatma Gandhi."
The Viksit Bharat- G RAM G Bill, 2025, on Thursday, replaced MGNREGA with a new statutory framework aligned with Viksit Bharat 2047. The employment guarantee is enhanced to 125 days per rural household, strengthening income security and linking wage employment with durable rural infrastructure across 4 priority areas.
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who had earlier introduced the bill, moved it for consideration and passing.
Lok Sabha today passed the Bill after heated discussion 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, calling it a decisive step towards achieving a Viksit Bharat by 2047.
