Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday his government would not stop the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme as it was a "living reminder" of the previous UPA government’s "failures".
Replying to the motion of thanks on the president’s address in the Lok Sabha, the prime minister said: "Sometimes people ask whether MGNREGA would be discontinued." Modi quipped though the Opposition might say he does not understand some issues, they would agree that "he has very good political sense".
"You will have to agree that I have good political sense. I cannot do away with the MGNREGA, as it is a living reminder of your mistakes." "I will keep on tom-tomming about it," he said, adding MGNREGA will remain.
The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, which envisages providing minimum 100 days of employment to the rural poor, was started by the UPA government in 2005.
The PM also said the government was ready to make changes in an ordinance it had issued to make it easier for businesses to buy farm land. "We are ready to fix anything (in the decree) that is against farmers," he said.
PM Modi said the government had "compelled" the nation to talk about black money. "We have compelled the nation to talk about black money. This is a big thing," he said.
"Our first decision in our first cabinet meeting was the decision on (forming) SIT on black money," he said. Modi said corruption had "ruined the nation" and the issue should not be discussed through political prism.
Hitting back at the PM for his MNREGA dig, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said: "Speeches don’t fill stomachs." "MNREGA is a programme from which many people benefit, making fun of it is not in good humour," Kharge added.
The PM, meanwhile, also said money raised from coal auctions would go to states. "They will get more money than they anticipated," he said.
With inputs from Agencies