'BHARAT': Shashi Tharoor coins new acronym for INDIA alliance; know what it stands for

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday coined a new acronym for the opposition block amid buzz that the Centre may change the country's name from India to Bharat. The Opposition parties, including Congress and AAP on Tuesday said that the BJP was scared of the new INDIA alliance and maybe this was the reason the Centre was considering changing the country's name to Bharat.

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In this background, Tharoor on Wednesday came up with a new acronym BHARAT, which he said stands for the Alliance for Betterment, Harmony And Responsible Advancement for Tomorrow (BHARAT). "We could of course call ourselves the Alliance for Betterment, Harmony And Responsible Advancement for Tomorrow (BHARAT)," he said in a post on X. "Then perhaps the ruling party might stop this fatuous game of changing names."

The speculation that the government may change the country's name began on Tuesday after the Rashtrapati Bhawan sent a dinner invite to G20 delegates in the name of the President of Bharat. So far, there is no word from the government whether it is considering any change in the country's name. However, the opposition claimed that the INDIA alliance had scared the ruling government. Some opposition leaders also said that if the Centre tried to change the country's name from India, then they may come out with a name similar to Bharat.

On Tuesday, Tharoor objected to any such move saying that the name India has 'incalculable' brand value and that the government should continue to use both words. "While there is no constitutional objection to calling India "Bharat", which is one of the country's two official names, I hope the government will not be so foolish as to completely dispense with “India”, which has incalculable brand value built up over centuries. We should continue to use both words rather than relinquish our claim to a name redolent of history, a name that is recognised around the world."

Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge, while addressing a gathering in poll-bound Rajasthan, said the BJP-led government was frightened by the opposition alliance INDIA and that is why it was changing the name to 'Bharat'. Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot said that the Congress President had played an essential role in forming the INDIA alliance. "With the formation of an alliance named INDIA, everybody has got affected be it PM Modi, NDA, BJP or RSS."

Earlier today, Abhishek Banerjee, TMC MP and nephew of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, said that whole India vs Bharat was just a distraction orchestrated by the BJP. "Let's cut to the chase and hold the govt accountable for skyrocketing prices, rampant inflation, communal tensions, unemployment, border disputes and their empty rhetoric of Double Engine and Nationalism. #StayFocused," he said.