New Delhi- Amidst the controversy surrounding the renaming of India to Bharat, Congress Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor has offered a novel suggestion. Tharoor proposed that the opposition bloc, previously known as the INDIA alliance, could rebrand itself as the “Alliance for Betterment, Harmony And Responsible Advancement for Tomorrow (BHARAT).” This proposition, he believes, might discourage the ruling party from its “superficial practice of altering names.”
Tharoor’s remarks come on the heels of a major uproar triggered by the invitations for a G20 dinner sent by President Droupadi Murmu. The invitations referred to her position as ‘President of Bharat’ instead of the conventional ‘President of India.’ This deviation led to allegations from the opposition, claiming that the Modi government intends to abandon the name ‘India’ in favor of ‘Bharat.’
In a post shared on an undisclosed platform, Tharoor commented, “We have the option of designating ourselves as the Alliance for Betterment, Harmony And Responsible Advancement for Tomorrow (BHARAT). This strategic move might encourage the governing party to cease this frivolous game of name changes.”
The Congress party is part of the opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA).
Jairam Ramesh, Congress General Secretary, had previously stated, “Mr. Modi can continue to distort history and divide India, that is Bharat, that is a Union of States. But we will not be deterred. After all, what is the objective of INDIA (alliance) parties? It is BHARAT—Bring Harmony, Amity, Reconciliation And Trust. BHARAT will prevail. INDIA will triumph!”
While Shashi Tharoor acknowledged that there is no constitutional impediment to referring to India as ‘Bharat,’ he expressed hope that the government would not be “foolhardy” enough to entirely discard the name ‘India,’ which holds “immeasurable brand value.” Tharoor also asserted that it was Pakistan’s founder, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, who had opposed the name ‘India,’ perceiving it to imply that “our country was the successor state to the British Raj, and Pakistan was a seceding state.”
PTI
