BJP seems to be irritated with Opposition alliance name INDIA: Rahul Gandhi

PARIS: Amid the controversy between Opposition and ruling BJP over use of word 'Bharat' instead of India, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday has said the BJP government seems to be irritated with name of opposition alliance INDIA.

"In our Constitution, India is defined as 'India that is Bharat- a Union of States'. So, these states have come together to form India or Bharat. The most important thing is that the voice of all the people included in these states is heard loud and clear and no voice is crushed or intimidated," he said in response to a question during his recent interaction with the students and faculty at Sciences Po University in Paris, France.

"The Constitution actually uses both names. The BJP government seems to be irritated with the name of our coalition (I.N.D.I.A). Now, they've decided to change the name of the country.People act in strange ways."

"We could give our coalition a second name as well. I don't think it will solve the purpose, but people act in strange ways.

“There is something deeper that is going on. People who want to change the name of anything are basically trying to deny history. The fact is whether we like it or not, we have a history, we were ruled by the British, we fought the British, we defeated the British,” he said.

The MP from Kerala's Wayanad said, "When you see people on the stage in the INDIA coalition, you must realize that more people from the majority community vote for us than they vote for BJP. Sixty per cent of India votes for us, 40 per cent of India votes for them. So the idea, the majority community is voting for BJP is wrong idea. The majority community actually votes for us."

Gandhi further said, "My experience is that regardless of whether people are poor or rich, they have a sense of what India should be doing, where India should be going. For me, the first step is protecting that voice and making sure that the institutions, the structures that protect the voice are working and are defended."

"When we use words like 'democracy', what we are actually talking about is the voice of the people. And listening effectively to that voice, allowing that voice expression is central to any success. The bedrock of it is the idea that we protect the voice of all our people," he said. IANS

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