Mamata Banerjee on Thursday announced that the state’s job scheme Karmashree would be named after Mahatma Gandhi while tearing into the Narendra Modi government for removing the name of the Father of the Nation from the two-decade-old MGNREGA.
Mamata’s announcement came amid a recent row after the BJP-led Union government tabled a bill in Parliament proposing to rename the existing Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) as Viksit Bharat—Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin), or VB–G RAM G Bill 2025.
The Opposition, including the Trinamool Congress, alleged that by renaming MGNREGA, the Modi government had insulted Gandhiji.
“I am feeling ashamed. NREGA was named after our Father of the Nation, and now a bill has been brought in so that Gandhiji’s name will not be there. I can’t blame anybody except myself, because I belong to this country and we have been forgetting even our Father of the Nation,” Mamata said while addressing the audience at a Business & Industry Conclave at Dhana Dhanye Auditorium in Calcutta.
“So, we will rename our Karmashree scheme after Gandhiji. This scheme will be changed to Mahatma Gandhi’s scheme. We have been providing 75 to 100 days of work to poor people under this scheme,” Mamata said.
A source said that the official name of the Bengal scheme would be announced later.
Karmashree was launched by Mamata last year on the lines of MGNREGA to provide jobs to rural people after the Centre withheld funds for central schemes, citing a series of malpractices and irregularities since December 2020. Trinamool, however, alleged that the Centre was depriving Bengal for its non-BJP, non-NDA government.
Karmashree was launched in 2024 with the aim to provide at least 50-day jobs to those used to working under the 100-day-guaranteed MGNREGA. Mamata recently claimed her government would also provide 100 days of guaranteed work under Karmashree.
“If you do not give proper respect to Mahatma Gandhi, we will give that respect. We know how to respect Gandhiji, Netaji, Rabindranath Tagore, Babasaheb Ambedkar and many more of our great leaders and polymaths,” she said.
Opposition parties pointed out that the Centre was changing not only MGNREGA’s name, but also its character.
Under the new VB–G RAM G Bill, the Centre has proposed to bear 60 per cent of the cost of the scheme, with state governments contributing 40 per cent, similar to other centrally sponsored schemes. However, in hilly states, the Centre will provide a 90 per cent share. Under the existing MGNREGA, the central government funds 90 per cent or more of the expenditure across hills and plains.
Under the proposed new scheme, a rural family would be eligible to seek work for 125 days instead of the current 100 days under MGNREGA.
Opposition MPs, including those from the Congress, the DMK and the Samajwadi Party, also staged a protest in front of Mahatma Gandhi’s statue on Thursday, demanding the bill be revoked.
At Thursday’s business event, Mamata announced that her government would lay the foundation stone of Durga Angan — a temple-like complex dedicated to Goddess Durga — in New Town on December 29, at an estimated cost of around ₹262 crore. She said the complex would be set up to honour Durga Puja, recognised by Unesco as an intangible cultural heritage.
The announcement came after her government set up the Jagannath Temple in Digha, which triggered a massive political war of words. Political experts believe that ahead of next year’s Assembly polls, these were Mamata’s attempts at wooing Hindu voters at a time when the BJP was making a strong pitch for a united Hindu votebank in Bengal.
Mamata on Saturday claimed that in Bengal, all religions and sects were treated equally and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to divide people in the name of religion.
“I wish the Prime Minister a long life. I am sorry to tell you that please do not do anything wrong, which may have repercussions in the future. Remember our country is one,” said Mamata.