Assam CM Himanta Sarma replaces ‘INDIA’ with ‘Bharat’ in Twitter bio, citing colonial legacy | India News

NEW DELHI: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday changed his Twitter bio and replaced ‘India’ with ‘Bharat’ in response to the Opposition’s alliance being named ‘I.N.D.I.A’.
In a tweet addressing a “civilisational conflict” between Bharat and India, the chief minister opted for the phrase ‘BJP for Bharat’ instead of India.

Drawing attention to the historical context, Himanta Sarma also expressed, “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. Our ancestors fought for Bharat, and we shall persist in our efforts for Bharat.”

This decision by the Assam chief minister followed a meeting in Bengaluru where 26 opposition parties proposed the name ‘I.N.D.I.A’ for their grand alliance leading up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Setting the tone for their 2024 Lok Sabha campaign, 26 opposition parties on Tuesday formed the INDIA grouping to unitedly take on the ruling NDA with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi asserting that the fight will be “between INDIA and Prime Minister Narendra Modi”.