Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor took a dig at the ruling BJP on Wednesday for emphasizing the use of ‘Bharat’ instead of the country’s English name ‘India.’ This comes in response to the opposition bloc naming their alliance INDIA, an abbreviation for the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance.
Tharoor suggested that if opposition parties rename their alliance as the “Alliance for Betterment, Harmony, And Responsible Advancement for Tomorrow” or BHARAT, it might prompt the ruling party to cease its frivolous game of name-changing.
The political dispute over the country’s name intensified after the government sent G20 dinner invitations to world leaders in the name of the ‘President of Bharat’ instead of the usual ‘President of India.’
Tharoor clarified that there is no constitutional objection to using “Bharat” alongside “India,” but he cautioned against entirely discarding the name “India.” He proposed using both terms to refer to the country, as they each carry significant historical and global recognition.
He said that while there is no constitutional objection to using ‘Bharat,’ one of the country’s official names, he hoped the government will not make the decision to completely replace ‘India,’ a name that has accumulated immense brand value over centuries.
He added that rather than relinquishing our claim to a historically resonant name recognized worldwide, we should continue using both terms.
