Congress hits back at Sarma over remark on Opposition grouping name
Hitting back at Sarma, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said: “Is the Assam CM having a surplus of sour grapes in his mouth?”
The Congress on Wednesday hit back at Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over his remarks that Opposition grouping INDIA was a “colonial” name, saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi had used terms such as ‘Skill India’ and ‘Start-up India’ for various government schemes.
Taking a dig at opposition parties over the name of their coalition – – Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) – Sarma on Tuesday said the British had named the country India and the fight should be to free the nation from “colonial legacies”. The chief minister also said that “our forefathers fought for Bharat, and we (BJP) will continue to work for Bharat”.
Hitting back at Sarma, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said: “Is the Assam CM having a surplus of sour grapes in his mouth? His new mentor, Mr. Modi, gave us Skill India, Start-up India and Digital India – all new names for ongoing programmes. He’s (Modi) asked CMs of different states to work together as ‘Team India’. He even made an appeal to Vote India!”
Ramesh added: “But when 26 political parties call their formation INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance), he throws a fit and says use of India reflects ‘colonial mentality’! He should go tell that to his Boss.”
Congress MP KC Venugopal also hit out at Sarma, saying: “The BJP’s divisive tendencies are in full display, as they try to divide our country on its many names. India is Bharat, and Bharat is India… Are people who cheer for India on the cricket field not Bharatiya? Are Bharatiyas who proudly tell the world that they’re Indian, any less patriotic?”
Amid criticism, Sarma took a fresh jibe at the Congress. “I made one tweet on BHARAT and Congress remembered the huge success of Start Up India, Skill India and Digital India . The Constitutional adoption of the name – India, was borrowed from a Colonial legacy and continues to remain in force like many such legacies. But the civilisational conflict between Bharat and India runs much deeper than a mere choice of names. BHARAT must Win , BHARAT will Win,” he tweeted later on Wednesday.
