Jammu and Kashmir [India], March 11: Sunil Sharma, the Leader of Opposition (LoP) and BJP MLA from Jammu and Kashmir, on Tuesday expressed his support for the statement made by RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale, advocating for India to be officially called Bharat. Sharma emphasized that the term “Bharat” underscores the nation’s rich culture and civilization.
Speaking to ANI, Sharma said, “Dattatreya Hosabale’s statement about India being called Bharat is something every Indian can support. Bharat is a traditional name, originating from the son of Dushyant and Shakuntala. It signifies our culture and civilization. We wholeheartedly welcome Hosabale’s statement. Every Bhartiya will take pride in this, and there will be no objections or disputes.”
Meanwhile, Congress MP K Suresh criticized the RSS’s stance, stating, “This is the RSS mindset—they always think like this. They don’t want India; they only want Bharat. This reflects their ideology and policy. The people of India have not accepted this RSS agenda.”
Hosabale’s comments were made during a book launch on Monday, where he questioned the frequent use of “India” in official contexts and advocated for a shift to “Bharat.” He highlighted examples from the G-20 summit, where invitations from the Rashtrapati Bhavan and Prime Minister’s office had “Republic of Bharat” printed in English, contrasting it with the term “Constitution of India.”
Hosabale asked, “Why is it that we have ‘India’ in everything, including ‘Reserve Bank of India’ and ‘Constitution of India’? If the country’s name is Bharat, it should only be referred to as Bharat.”
Further elaborating on his views, Hosabale added, “India is here not just for itself but to rise for the welfare of other nations. India’s rise will not be for the sake of dominating or bullying other countries, but for their benefit.”
Hosabale also spoke about the colonial influence on Indian culture, claiming that Indians never felt inferior during Mughal rule, but the British instilled a sense of superiority regarding English culture. This led to the enduring presence of “Englishism” and the prominence of English-medium education in India.