Former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag has recently called upon the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to consider using jerseys with the name "Bharat" instead of "India" for the upcoming ICC World Cup.
Sehwag's comments come in light of the recent controversy surrounding the invitations for a dinner at the Rashtrapati Bhavan during the G20 summit on September 9. The invitations referred to President Droupadi Murmu as the "President of Bharat" rather than the "President of India."
“I have always believed a name should be one which instills pride in us. We are Bhartiyas, India is a name given by the British and it has been long overdue to get our original name ‘Bharat’ back officially. I urge the BCCI (secretary) Jay Shah to ensure that in this World Cup our players have Bharat on our chest,” Sehwag posted on X.
He further provided examples of nations that had undergone name changes.
“In the 1996 World Cup, Netherlands came to play in the World Cup in Bharat as Holland. In 2003, when we met them, they were The Netherlands and continue to be so. Burma have changed the name given by the British back to Myanmar. And many others have gone back to their original name,” he added.
According to a report in The Indian Express, there is widespread speculation about a special session of Parliament scheduled for September 18-22. During this session, a proposal is being prepared to eliminate the word 'India' from the Constitution. The report suggests that certain factions within the ruling party are advocating for the removal of the phrase "India, that is Bharat" from Article 1 of the Constitution, and instead, solely using the term 'Bharat'.
In response to a comment suggesting that he should have been a Member of Parliament, Sehwag clarified that his opinion is not influenced by any political affiliation. He further hinted that he had declined offers from two prominent political parties in the past couple of elections.
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