Steer Clear: PM Modi’s Directive to Ministers Amidst Bharat-India Political Controversy

In the face of the escalating Bharat-India political row, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sent out a clear directive to his ministers. The message? To stay clear of the controversy.

PM Modi’s Stand on The Controversy

According to knowledgeable sources, the PM has urged his ministers not to comment on the issue. 

This was apparently asserted during a Council of ministers meeting, where the G20 summit and other pressing matters were deliberated upon.

Notably, this marks the first instance where the PM has broached this subject with his ministers.

Over the last 24 hours, the opposition has held multiple meetings to plan a strategy over the contentious issue.

In her morning letter addressed to the PM, former Congress head, Sonia Gandhi, proposed a list of nine subjects up for discussion in the upcoming special parliamentary session.

Government’s Reaction to Mrs. Gandhi’s Letter

The government has reacted strongly, conveying that Mrs. Gandhi’s recommendations do not align with parliamentary traditions. 

According to these traditions, session agendas are not to be discussed prior to the session. This was reiterated by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi in his response.

This controversy sparked on Monday when President Droupadi Murmu’s invitation to the G20 leaders referred to her as the ‘President of Bharat’. 

The following day, a similarly-worded document saw PM Modi being described as the “Prime Minister of Bharat”.

The opposition claims that this linguistic switch is a diversionary tactic set up by the ruling party to draw attention away from the shortcomings in their governance leading to unemployment, poverty, and inflation.

The Unresolved Issue

The heated political debate appears to overlook more pressing matters, namely, the long-standing demand for the Women’s Reservation Bill. MLC K. Kavitha, of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi, questioned why this matter was excluded in Sonia Gandhi’s letter.

In these turbulent political times, the focus should ideally be on addressing the real concerns plaguing the nation.

Is the Bharat-India controversy a worthy distraction from matters like the Centre-state relationship, communal issues, and border conflicts with China? Only time will tell.