There is political turmoil over the Central Government’s proposal to change the name of the MGNREGA scheme and the new ‘G-RAM-G’ bill. The Congress party is opposing this and calling it an insult to Gandhi. But amidst this noise, senior Congress leader and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor has given a statement which has not only responded to the government but has also indirectly shown the mirror to his own party (Congress). It has often been seen that in the name of ‘Ram’ or ‘Ram Rajya’, Congress and the opposition become defensive, but Tharoor has openly supported ‘Ram Rajya’ and described it as an integral part of Mahatma Gandhi’s dreams. Not only this, he also gave advice to the government.
Shashi Tharoor said on ‘X’ – Avoiding ‘Ram’ is not Gandhism. He argued that for Mahatma Gandhi, ‘Ram Rajya’ and ‘Gram Swaraj’ were never opposing ideas. Tharoor tweeted, the controversy over changing the name of MNREGA in the government’s proposed new G-RAM-G bill is unfortunate. The concept of Gram Swaraj and the ideal of Ram Rajya were never competing forces. They were the two pillars of Gandhiji’s consciousness.
Advice to the government: Do not divide Gandhi and Ram
Describing the government’s decision as unnecessary, Tharoor said that trying to bring in Ram’s name by removing Gandhi’s name is creating a gap between these two great men which never existed. He said, removing the name of Mahatma from the scheme made for the rural poor is to ignore this deep symbiosis. His (Gandhiji’s) last breath was the testament of ‘Ram’; Let us not dishonor his legacy by creating a division that never existed.
What is the message for Congress?
This statement of Shashi Tharoor has become a topic of discussion in political circles. Analysts believe that Tharoor has tried to convince his party that BJP does not have a monopoly on the term ‘Ram Rajya’. While many Congress leaders avoid direct attacks on schemes related to the name of ‘Ram’ or make the mistake of looking at them through a communal lens, Tharoor has reminded that ‘Ram Rajya’ was the dream of Bapu himself. Tharoor clarified that it is not necessary to change the name of the scheme because this name has been on people’s lips for the last 20 years. He said, “You can change the terms of the scheme, it is the prerogative of the government. But changing the name is unnecessary.”
Two birds with one stone
Shashi Tharoor has killed two birds with one stone with his blunt statement. First, he told the central government that removing Gandhi could not be an honor to Ram. And secondly, he has shown the opposition that instead of running away from the discourse of ‘Ram’, BJP’s politics can be countered only by adopting it from a Gandhian perspective. Now it remains to be seen how seriously Congress takes the advice of its learned leader.
