Shashi Tharoor Suggests ‘BHARAT’ Name For Opposition Bloc

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has taken a dig at the government in the midst of the India-Bharat naming dispute. He suggested that the opposition coalition could adopt the name "Alliance for Betterment, Harmony And Responsible Advancement for Tomorrow (BHARAT)," which might prompt the ruling party to cease its "superficial game of altering names."

Tharoor's comments followed the controversy stirred by President Droupadi Murmu's invitations for a G20 dinner, where she identified her position as 'President of Bharat' rather than the customary 'President of India.' This move sparked a significant uproar, with the opposition alleging that the Modi government intends to abandon the name India in favor of Bharat for the country.

In a post on X, Tharoor said, "We could of course call ourselves the Alliance for Betterment, Harmony And Responsible Advancement for Tomorrow (BHARAT). Then perhaps the ruling party might stop this fatuous game of changing names." The Congress is a constituent of the opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA).

On Tuesday, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh expressed on X, "Modi can continue to distort history and divide India, that is Bharat, 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 unite. INDIA will triumph!"

Tharoor had previously stated that while there is no constitutional objection to using 'Bharat' for India, he hopes the government will not be "unwise" enough to entirely discard 'India,' which holds "immeasurable brand value."

Additionally, the Congress MP claimed that it was Pakistan's founder, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, who objected to the name 'India,' as it implied that "our country was the successor state to the British Raj and Pakistan was a seceding state."