In a recent press conference, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma reiterated his call for the renaming of key institutions in India, including the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), to reflect a more culturally rooted identity by using 'Bharat' instead of 'India.' Sarma argued that terms like 'India' and the associated colonial practices have no place in the nation's modern landscape, which he believes is on the verge of a cultural renaissance.
"The name of the central bank should be 'Reserve Bank of Bharat'. This is a phase of renaissance. Assam has changed several old legacies, and many changes have been made in the Centre also," Sarma was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
Sarma pointed out that several practices introduced during British colonial rule have persisted in India and must be changed. "People have waited for 75 years for someone like Modi to come and root out this colonial hangover," he stated.
He also emphasised that blaming Prime Minister Narendra Modi for past issues would be unjust. "How can Modiji be blamed for something done by (Jawaharlal) Nehru?" Sarma inquired, alluding to the continued use of the term 'India' and the persistence of colonial practices.
Sarma drew attention to the Supreme Court's previous ruling that the names 'India' and 'Bharat' can be used interchangeably. "Whether it is India or Bharat, I don't think this is debatable," he was quoted as saying by PTI. "When Amit Shah introduced the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita bills in Parliament, no one raised any objections." He also highlighted that former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had taken his oath as the leader of 'Bharat,' while HD Deve Gowda assumed office as the Prime Minister of 'India.'
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Sarma Hits Out At Tharoor:
Furthermore, Sarma dismissed Congress MP Shashi Tharoor's claim that Pakistan's founder, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, had objected to the name 'India' on the grounds that it implied India was the successor state to the British Raj and Pakistan a seceding state. Sarma argued, "What Tharoor said was a half-truth. What Jinnah said is not important. What is important for us is the name that sages and saints used, and it was not India but Bharat."
Responding to Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara's recent query about the origin of Sanatan Dharma, Sarma remarked, "The word Sanatan itself has the answer. It means something that has no beginning and no end. It has existed from eternity and will continue infinitely." He added with a hint of humour, "The home minister of such a big state like Karnataka cannot understand such a simple thing, whereas someone like me from a small state can grasp it."
Sarma's call for a shift from 'India' to 'Bharat' in the names of key institutions continues to spark debates about the country's cultural identity and its historical legacies.