Bharatiya Janata Party leader from West Bengal, Dilip Ghosh on Sunday said that India will be renamed as Bharat and those against the change of name can leave the country. The Medinipur MP also stated that the statues of foreigners in Kolkata will be removed.
Speaking at 'Chai pe Charcha' programme in Kharagpur city, the former Bengal BJP chief said, "When our party comes to power in West Bengal, we will remove all statues of foreigners in Kolkata," as quoted by the news agency PTI. "India will be renamed as Bharat. Those not liking it are free to leave the country," he said.
Rahul Sinha, another senior BJP leader from the state, said a country cannot have two names and this is the correct time to change the name as world leaders are present in New Delhi to attend the G20 summit.
Trinamool Congress spokesperson Santanu Sen alleged that the BJP was trying to "divert attention from real issues as it is afraid of the opposition INDIA alliance". Opposition parties led by Congress have formed the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) to take on the BJP in Lok Sabha polls due next year.
The row erupted after G20 dinner invitations sent out by President Droupadi Murmu described her position as 'President of Bharat'. The G20 dinner invitations sent out by President Droupadi Murmu describing her position as 'President of Bharat' instead of the customary 'President of India' have kicked off a political storm in the country. Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked the ministers to refrain from speaking on the row.
The opposition alleged that the move was reflective of the BJP being scared of the I.N.D.I.A. bloc, while the ruling party asserted that there was nothing wrong with using Bharat as it is part of the Constitution.