Centre, Congress cross swords over NREGA

On a day the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Guarantee Act completed 10 years, the government and the Opposition Congress engaged in a war of words. While the government claimed that it transformed the MGNREGA from “pitiable” conditions, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi noted the “U-turn of NDA on the scheme from one of the monumental example of the failure of UPA to hailing it for achievements”.

Finance minister Arun Jaitely and rural development minister Birender Singh took part in a programme to commemorate the 10 years of MGNREGA at Vigyan Bhavan. On the other hand, Mr Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh went to Bandlapalli village of Anantpur in Andhra Pradesh from where the scheme was launched in 2016. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Jaitely said, “The MGNREGA underwent change under the NDA and new initiatives were taken besides increasing the fund allocation to the scheme so that its benefits could reach the people in a better way. Transformation has been brought in the implementation of this scheme. When a government scheme runs for many years, an attitude of indifference develops towards it.”

However, Mr Gandhi mocked the NDA government in a tweet, saying, “After calling (MG)NREGA a living monument of INC failure Govt now hails it as cause of ‘nat pride & celebration’ !Shining eg of Modiji’s pol wisdom”. He added, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying his government’s praise of the MGNREGA is a shining example of Modi’s political wisdom as he only had called the UPA’s job guarantee scheme a living monument of Congress’ failure.”

Rural development minister said that in the last 19 months, people availing the scheme have benefited in the true sense due to correct implementation of the scheme. Minister of state for rural development Sudarshan Bhagat said the condition of MGNREGA was “quite pitiable” in the beginning of the 2014-15.

Congress accuses BJP of taking a ‘U-turn’ Rejecting the government’s claim of having brought a “transformation” in NREGA, Congress on Tuesday attacked it for praising the UPA’s flagship rural job scheme in a “characteristic U-turn” and alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was eroding the effectiveness of the welfare effort. Leading the charge, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi mocked Mr Modi saying his government’s praise is a “shining example” of the PM’s “political wisdom” while former prime minister Manmohan Singh alleged that there was an attempt to “kill the soul and spirit” of NREGA.

“After calling NREGA ‘living monument of INC failure’ Govt now hails it as cause of ‘nat pride & celebration’ !Shining eg of Modiji’s pol wisdom”, Mr Gandhi said in a tweet as NREGA completed 10 years on Tuesday.