'Non-Hindi Speaking People Cannot Pronounce': Chidambaram Slams Govt Over Welfare Bill's Name

Last Updated:December 16, 2025, 10:57 IST

The government has proposed a new legislation titled Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, 2025, to replace MGNREGA.

MK Stalin and P Chidambaram have criticised the government's move to remove MNREGA and replace it with a new bill. (Image: PTI)

What began as a policy rethink of India’s flagship rural employment programme has erupted into a full-blown language row, with opposition leaders accusing the Union government of imposing Hindi through the backdoor while dismantling a welfare law. The government’s proposal to repeal the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and replace it with a newly named rural employment scheme has triggered sharp reactions from non-Hindi speaking states and senior opposition figures.

The government has proposed a new legislation titled Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, 2025. Apart from dropping Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the scheme, the Opposition says the use of Hindi words written in English script reflects a growing tendency of linguistic centralisation. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin led the charge, describing the new title as an “imposed northern language name that doesn’t even enter the mouth," arguing that it alienates large sections of the country and erases the legacy associated with Gandhi.

“For a scheme that is being implemented entirely with 100% funding from the Union government, they will now allocate only 60% funding! Above all these, our Tamil Nadu is being punished precisely because it has completely eradicated poverty in the country! Because it is a state without poverty, the benefits of this scheme will be available to the people of Tamil Nadu only to a lesser extent than what exists," Stalin posted on X.

“The Union BJP government is arrogantly attempting to destroy a scheme that has rescued crores of people from the clutches of poverty and paved the way for them to live with dignity," he added.

Former Union finance minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram framed the issue as a direct departure from parliamentary convention. He said he opposed the “increasing practice of the government using Hindi words written in English letters" for Bills introduced in Parliament. For 75 years, he noted, English Bills carried English titles and Hindi versions carried Hindi titles — a system that caused no confusion. The change, he argued, is an affront to non-Hindi speaking people and states with official languages other than Hindi, making it difficult for them to identify, pronounce, or relate to central laws. Chidambaram warned that the long-standing assurance that English would remain an associate official language now appears to be under strain.

“When no one pointed out any difficulty in the 75 year practice, why should government make a change? This change is an affront to non-Hindi speaking people and to States that have an official language other than Hindi. Non-Hindi speaking people cannot identify a Bill/Act with titles that are in Hindi words written in English letters; nor can they pronounce the title of the Bill/Act. Successive governments have reiterated the promise that English will remain an Associate Official Language. I fear that promise is in danger of being broken," Chidambaram wrote on X.

The language controversy has overshadowed substantive changes proposed in the new rural employment framework. According to sources, the government plans to replace MGNREGA with a restructured scheme that would increase guaranteed employment days from 100 to 125 and introduce weekly wage payments. However, the proposed law may dilute the statutory “right to work" that defined MGNREGA, shifting the programme from a demand-driven entitlement to one governed by budgetary allocations and administrative discretion.

News politics 'Non-Hindi Speaking People Cannot Pronounce': Chidambaram Slams Govt Over Welfare Bill's Name

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