SNCN ACHARYULU
Hyderabad
The Bharath Rashtra Samithi (BRS) is in a dilemma whether to support or to oppose if the Central government introduces a bill in Parliament regarding changing India’s name to Bharat. The Central government is likely to introduce the bill in the Special Parliament session scheduled from September 18.
The BRS ally MIM is opposed to changing the country’s name to Bharat. In the upcoming Telangana Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, MIM support is crucial to the BRS. Under the circumstances, if the BRS supports this issue, the MIM may get angry.
Bharat is in the name of BRS itself. If the BRS opposes the naming the country as Bharat it will become a political issue to criticise the party. The BJP may ask to change the name of BRS when it opposing to name the country as Bharat.
In the BRS parliamentary party meeting scheduled on September 15, this issue also may come up for discussion. Sources said that the BRS may not take any decision either supporting or opposing this issue.
If the Central government introduces the bill in Parliament based on the mood of the House and the circumstances at that time, the BRS can take a decision on this issue, seems to be its strategy.
Without knowing the decission of the Central government whether it will introduce the bill or not, taking a decision on this issue may become a headache to it, the BRS feels. Muslim minority voters will play a key role in deciding the fate of the candidates in several Assembly constituencies of Telangana.
If there are any differences between the BRS and the MIM, it will be a loss to the BRS politically in the upcoming elections.
The BRS leadership is of the opinion that it is better not to take any decision on this issue at present.
Meanwhile, a senior leader of the BRS said that there is no confusion in the party on this issue. The BRS will take its own decision and it has nothing to do with the decision of the MIM on this issue, he said. The senior leader remembered that when the MIM opposed the Central government’s decission on Article 370, the BRS had supported the Central government’s decision.
