The name of the country should be changed from India to Bharat as it was time to end all signs of “slavery”, BJP leader from Uttar Pradesh, Satya Pal Singh, said in the Lok Sabha on Monday, while participating in the Motion of Thanks to President’s Address.
“One sign of slavery is there in the Constitution. Article that says India that is Bharat. This India should end as the country’s name is Bharat,” said Mr. Singh, who represents the Baghpat constituency in the Lok Sabha.
The MP also targeted the Congress for “forcing” secularism, calling Lord Ram a mythical figure and abandoning the unifying principles of religion. Hailing the construction of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya, Mr. Singh called it the symbol of faith of millions of people.
Responding to his statement, several Opposition leaders questioned the dominance of religion in affairs of the state. Congress MP from Kerala, Benny Behanan, said the Narendra Modi government was leading the country towards a “Hindu Rashtra”.
“I am afraid our country is heading towards a theocracy by interlinking state and religion. Our Prime Minister, who is a state representative, was recently a part of the pran prathistha [consecration ceremony] of the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya, clearly violating the idea of maintaining principled distance between the state and religion as mandated by secularism,” Mr. Behanan said.
Trinamool Congress member Shatabdi Roy also took a swipe at the BJP over its claim that only the Modi government could build the Ram Temple at Ayodhya.
“He [Mr. Modi] is a very powerful person. He can bring god [back to Ayodhya]. He has so much power that he can bring back god but he cannot bring back mere mortals such as Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi or Vijay Mallya. Can he not bring back black money? These are the questions facing the country,” said Ms. Roy, who represents Birbhum in the Lok Sabha.
Seeking to poke holes in the government’s claims of pulling out 25 crore people from multi-dimensional poverty, Ms. Roy argued that the data pertained to COVID years when surveys were not conducted. She said issues such as unemployment, high inflation, safety and security of girl child, MSP for farmers, violence in Manipur, and the reality of the suffering of train passengers were missing from the President’s address.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Harsimrat Badal claimed that farmers’ suicides have gone up; so have suicides by youth as every second youngster was without a job.
BJP leader Jagadambika Pal targeted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, pointing out that the latter chose to go on a yatra when Parliament was in session, thereby belittling the institution.
Samajwadi Party member S.T. Hasan, who represents the Moradabad constituency, expressed concerns over developments regarding the Gyanvapi mosque and wondered if such claims would extend to Mathura as well as the Taj Mahal. “Where will this stop?” he asked.
