Former cricketer Virender Sehwag issued a detailed statement on Wednesday on the ongoing debate over rumored plans to replace the country’s English name ‘India’ with ‘Bharat,’ a day after he welcomed the prospect of a name change and urged India’s cricket board to begin using “Bharat” on team uniforms.
Sehwag emphasized that campaigning for “Bharat” as the nation’s name should not be interpreted as a political agenda. “Funny when people think having a desire that our nation be addressed as Bharat is viewed as a political thing,” he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Clarifying his stance, the cricketer-turned-commentator said, “I am no fan of any particular political party. There are good people in both national parties and there are also very many incompetent people in both parties.”
Sehwag went on to say that he has never had, and never will have, political ambitions, saying that he turned down offers to run in the last two Lok Sabha elections from “both parties,” a clear allusion to the BJP and the Congress. If Sehwag had any political ambitions, his on-field achievements would have been enough to gain a ticket from any party.
“Speaking heart out is different from political aspiration. My only interest is “Bharat” ,” he wrote.
Funny when people think having a desire that our nation be addressed as Bharat is viewed as a political thing.
I am no fan of any particular political party. There are good people in both national parties and there are also very many incompetent people in both parties. I once… pic.twitter.com/9aJoJ6FEGp— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) September 6, 2023
Several political heavyweights weighed in on the controversy after Rashtrapati Bhavan sent out invites to a G20 dinner on September 9 under the name of ‘President of Bharat’ rather than the regular ‘President of India,’ with opposition parties alleging that the BJP was panicked because to the INDIA bloc.
Sehwag, a swashbuckling opener of his generation, indicated that the united opposition could just as easily opt to be known as B.H.A.R.A.T., saying, “There are very many creative people who can suggest apt full forms for the same.”