A big country like India has so many challenges which the political parties in power and those sitting in opposition benches should counter through cooperation and not as enemies though they are political adversaries. The enormous struggle between the parties to show down each other is not in their interest and also not good for the country. Changing the names of places can indeed be a contentious issue, with arguments both for and against such changes. Some could argue that it's important to reflect evolving values and historical context, while others believe it can be a waste of resources and time.
It is unfortunate that the country which has numerous practical issues and problems concerning the masses to deal with has been once again put into a situation where the countrymen are wasting their energy by taking sides of poles apart from political parties, one in power and others in opposition. The latest controversy over the issue of Bharat versus India is a hot topic in the country which seems being stretched too far by the politicians. So is the case with the media across the country that has been vertically divided into two camps each pursuing the sponsored narratives?
What is more intriguing is the fact that the controversy over the issue is a bit ludicrous as the names for which the political class of the country is fighting both have constitutional and national acceptability and are being used by one and all in the country since ages.
Moreover, there is no official word on the change of name of the country. Merely projected official usage of Bharat on the official communications and at other prominent places does not mean that the change of name will take place. The Government may have plans to project and popularise Bharat more in its public discourse over India in a phased manner.
The immediate cause of action may be attributed to the auspicious day of shifting to the new Parliament building and also to spread an aura of Bharat by re-introducing India's ancient History, Culture, Ethos and Heritage to the world on the special occasion of G20.
This makes no material difference as such sudden change of the name of the country is not that easy and practical for India as the opposition parties apprehend. Such a proposal needs gigantic exercises that too be rolled over a reasonable time span. It seems that the political class has gone aghast and is not capable of addressing the problems which the people are currently confronting and that is the reason behind deviating the issues to such immaterial ones, which can do no good to even a single entity in the country.
It is really unfortunate to see the recurring battles over changing the names of places, and institutions in recent times, and this time the controversy is of changing the name of not a city, locality or a Mohalla but of the nation.
Often fuelled by emotive responses, the political groups seek to assert their influence by rewriting or rectifying the history. The trend is not new in India. The earlier governments have been on the naming spree of putting signboards bearing the names from one family on every Institution, Building, and places of national importance, towns, parks, roads, crossing and what not.
These conflicts over naming and renaming are nothing short of wasteful, consuming valuable resources, time, and energy that could be better directed toward addressing genuine societal challenges. Taxpayer money that could have been invested in critical infrastructure projects, education, or healthcare is diverted toward these endeavours, leaving citizens to bear the brunt of the financial burden.
In nutshell, while there is nothing bad in naming places and Institutions in the names of national heroes sparingly by any government, however, the raising controversies by the political opponents should not be taken too far at the cost of constructive opposition. Such attempts of changing names are often driven by political motives, it is, however, undeniably wasteful in terms of national resources and energy. It is necessary for the governments and opposition not to indulge into such petty skirmishes rather they should bail out the public from the dungeons of poverty, lawlessness, joblessness and other streams of dearth prevailing in the country whether India or Bharat?
