By Smritika Banerjee
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, in a challenge to the Central Government’s decision to overhaul the national rural employment framework, announced on Thursday that the state’s own job guarantee program called Karmashree will be renamed in honor of Mahatma Gandhi.
Following the passage of the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission Bill in the Lok Sabha, the move seeks to replace the decades-old Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. Sharp criticism has been drawn by the new legislation for omitting the “Mahatma Gandhi” name from the official title of the flagship event.
Mamta Banerjee, who looked distressed while addressing a business and industry conclave at the Dhana Dhanya auditorium, expressed “shame” over the Centre’s move. “Gandhiji’s name is no longer there in the Bill. I feel ashamed as a citizen of this country that we are forgetting the Father of the Nation,” she also added.
The Chief Minister stated that West Bengal will lead by example on the failure of the Union Government to honor national icons. She said, “We have decided to rename our Karmashree scheme after Mahatma Gandhi. If you won’t give him respect, we will.” She further emphasized that the state will support its rural workforce through its own resources and is not “begging” for central assistance.
The Karmashree scheme, currently funded by the state, offers between 75 and 100 days of work to rural households. Banerjee restated that she is aiming to guarantee a full 100 days of employment across the state by expanding the program. Originally, the goal of this project was to cover the gap left by the Centre’s 2022 suspension of MNREGA funds to Bengal due to claims of financial irregularities.
A broad rift over the heritage of national symbols is brought to light by the political impasse. As the state prepares for upcoming elections, Banerjee’s action represents a strategic reclamation of Gandhiji’s legacy, despite the insistence of the BJP-led Centre that the new Bill streamlines rural development under a larger national agenda.