Gandhi Patham chief seeks President’s intervention

Bhadrachalam: InternationalGandhi Patham president Dr Busireddy Shankar Reddy has urged President Droupadi Murmu to restore Mahatma Gandhi’s name to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), opposing what he termed as the removal of Gandhi’s name for political reasons.

In a letter submitted to the government through the Bhadrachalam Sub-Collector on Saturday, Dr Reddy expressed condemnation over the renaming of the rural employment scheme.

In his representation, Dr Reddy said Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation, is not only a national icon but a global symbol of non-violence and human rights. He stated that world leaders such as Nelson Mandela, Aung San Suu Kyi and Martin Luther King Jr drew inspiration from Gandhi’s ideals while leading struggles for freedom and civil rights in their respective countries.

Terming the removal of Gandhi’s name from the flagship rural employment programme as ‘unfortunate and deeply regrettable,’ Dr Reddy said the move had hurt the sentiments of people across the country. He emphasised that the nation strongly opposes any attempt to dilute the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi for political considerations.

Dr Reddy appealed to the President to restore the original name of the scheme in the interest of preserving national values and historical legacy.

Those present during the submission of the letter included Bhadradri Kothagudem district Gandhi Patham convenor Chintala Cheruvu Gerisham, Bhadradri region convenor Ganji Sampath, Burgampahad region convenor Dwarapu Ramu, along with other Gandhi Patham activists.