Assam CM removes 'India' from Twitter bio amid opposition alliance
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday removed "India" from his Twitter bio and added "Bharat" to it. This came hours after the opposition camp finalized its coalition name "INDIA," which stands for Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance. In a Twitter post, he also pointed out the "civilizational conflict" between the words "India" and "Bharat."
British named our country India: Sarma
Pushing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s idea for Bharat, Sarma tweeted, "The British named our country as India. We must strive to free ourselves from colonial legacies. Our forefathers fought for Bharat, and we will continue to work for Bharat." Notably, Sarma's old Twitter bio read, "Chief Minister of Assam, India." This has now been changed to "Chief Minister of Assam, BHARAT."
Sarma's Twitter post
PM Modi named several programs after India: Congress
Sarma's tweet faced criticism from Congress leaders, who slammed the Assam CM for "throwing a fit." Congress leader Jairam Ramesh tweeted that PM Narendra Modi gave us "Skill India, Start-up India, and Digital India—all new names for ongoing programs." "But when 26 political parties call their formation INDIA...he says India reflects 'colonial mentality!' He should go tell that to his boss," Ramesh added.
Here's Ramesh's Twitter post
26 opposition parties met on Monday-Tuesday
As many as 26 national and regional opposition parties had a two-day brainstorming session on Monday and Tuesday in Karnataka's Bengaluru. The coalition's goal is to defeat the ruling BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The previous joint opposition meeting was held in Bihar's Patna, while the next will be held in Maharashtra's Mumbai.
