The Congress on Wednesday hit back at Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma who took a swipe at the opposition coalition with his remarks that the British had named the country India, saying he should tell that to Prime Minister Narendra Modi who gave names such as 'Skill India', 'Start-up India' and 'Digital India' for programmes in the country.
Taking a dig at opposition parties over the name of their coalition – Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) – Sarma on Tuesday claimed that the British had named the country India and the fight should be to free the nation from "colonial legacies".
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 said on Twitter.
"But when 26 political parties call their formation INDIA (Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance), he (Sarma) throws a fit and says use of India reflects 'colonial mentality'! He should go tell that to his Boss," the Congress leader said.
Ramesh also shared an old video of Modi in which he is seen appealing to voters to "vote for India".
In a tweet, Sarma had said, "Our civilisational conflict is pivoted around India and Bharat. The British named our country as India. We must strive to free ourselves from colonial legacies.
Noting that the forefathers had fought for 'Bharat', he said, "We will continue to work for Bharat."
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".
