E-Paper
India to be called ‘Bharat’ soon? Buzz after President's G20 dinner invite
Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan shared a screenshot of the President's invite for G20 dinner which bore the name ‘Republic of Bharat’
Is our country ‘INDIA’ going to be renamed ‘Bharat’? The buzz around a possible name change by the Narendra Modi government has grown louder after a viral picture of a G20 dinner invite sent by Rashtrapati Bhawan was signed in the name of ‘President of Bharat’ instead of the convention ‘President of India’.
The opposition parties including Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party have cried foul over the invite. The grand old party has even gone on to accuse the ruling dispensation of trying to distort history out of fear of the newly formed I.N.D.I.A alliance.
The controversy over the G20 dinner invite comes ahead of the special session of parliament, that has already triggered immense speculations as to what will be on agenda.
ALSO READ: From ‘India’ to ‘Bharat’? Oppn's charge on Presidential invite for G20 dinner
Cong slams ‘Republic of Bharat’ G20 invite
Several Congress leaders including Jairam Ramesh, KC Venugopal, Manish Tewari and Shashi Tharoor took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter), questioning the Modi government over a rumoured name change of the country.
“So the news is indeed true. Rashtrapati Bhawan has sent out an invite for a G20 dinner on Sept 9th in the name of 'President of Bharat' instead of the usual 'President of India'. Now, Article 1 in the Constitution can read: “Bharat, that was India, shall be a Union of States. But now even this “Union of States” is under assault”, Congress general secretary in-charge (communications) Jairam Ramesh posted.
Ramesh's party colleague and AICC general secretary KC Venugopal too attacked the BJP. “The BJP's destructive mind can only think of how to divide people. Once again, they are creating a rift between Indians and Bharatiyas. Let's be clear - we are the same! As Article 1 says - India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States. This is petty politics because they are scared of INDIA. Try what you will, Modi ji. Judega Bharat, Jeetega INDIA!”
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor suggested using both ‘India’ and ‘Bharat’. “While there is no constitutional objection to calling India “Bharat”, which is one of the country’s two official names, I hope the government will not be so foolish as to completely dispense with “India”, which has incalculable brand value built up over centuries. We should continue to use both words rather than relinquish our claim to a name redolent of history, a name that is recognised around the world”, he posted on X.
BJP's big hint on ‘Bharat’
Unfazed by the criticism, the Bharatiya Janata Party hit out at the constituents of the I.N.D.I.A alliance, accusing them of hating the word ‘Bharat’.
Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan shared the invite by the President bearing ‘Republic of Bharat’ on his X handle.
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in a post on X called the move a bold step towards ‘Amrit Kaal’.
“REPUBLIC OF BHARAT - happy and proud that our civilisation is marching ahead boldly towards AMRIT KAAL", he said.
“Now my apprehension has proven to be true. The Congress party seems to have a strong aversion towards Bharat. It appears that the name 'I.N.D.I alliance' was intentionally chosen with the aim of defeating BHARAT”, Sarma added.
What does Constitution of India say?
The opposition parties have cited Article 1 of the Constitution to support their arguments on ‘Bharat’ vs ‘India’ row. Here's what the article states:-
"(1) India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States.
(2) The States and the territories thereof shall be as specified in the First Schedule.
(3) The territory of India shall comprise —
(a) the territories of the States;
(b) the Union territories specified in the First Schedule; and
(c) such other territories as may be acquire".
