New Delhi: Making a clarification on his earlier post on X asking BCCI to have "Bharat" engraved on the jerseys of the players in the upcoming World Cup, batting legend Virender Sehwag said he does not have any inclinations towards any political party in India, but his only interest is Bharat, which is the original name of this country.
If he had any political aspirations, he would have accepted the last two Lok Sabha elections from both parties, the swashbuckling batsman added.
He Xed: "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 again reaffirm I have never had, nor have any political aspirations.
If I did have any, I would have gladly accepted the last two LS elections from both parties. And if I had to, on-field achievements were enough to get a ticket from either party. Speaking your heart out is different from political aspiration. My only interest is Bharat," he said.
Sehwag wrote on his X handle along with a newspaper clipping attached reading the support of the Congress party inlcuding Jawaharlal Nehru's to restore the name of India as Bharat as proposed by Jan Sangh Founder Shyama Prasad Mukherjee.
Sehwag further said the United Opposition calling themselves I.N.D.I.A can very well call themselves B.H.A.R.A.T. "There are very many creative people who can suggest apt full forms for the same," he said.
"Congress even had a yatra called the Bharat Jodo Yatra. Unfortunately many people feel insecure of the word Bharat," Sehwag rued.
In his opinion, Sehwag said the elections will be labelled between Narendra Modi versus the Leader of the Opposition, irrespective of the alliance name. "It will just give me a great deal of satisfaction and fulfillment if we are addressed as a nation by the name Bharat," he said.
Earlier on Tuesday, Sehwag appealed to BCCI to have Bharat, instead of India, inscribed on the jerseys of the national team players in the upcoming ODI World Cup and tagged BCCI secretary Jay Shah.
"I have always believed a name should be one which instills pride in us. India is a name given by the British (and) it has been long overdue to get our original name 'Bharat' back (sic)," he wrote. (UNI)
