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‘Prime Minister of Bharat’: BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra's X post on PM Modi amid ‘India’ name change row

The BJP has welcomed the development pertaining to G20 invite being sent in name of ‘President of Bharat’, calling it a ‘civilisational march’.

Published on: Sep 05, 2023 11:11 PM IST
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Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Sambit Patra on Tuesday shared a picture on social media platform X, which addressed Prime Minister Narendra Modi as ‘The Prime Minister Of Bharat’.

The picture shared on X pertains to Modi's participation in the 20th ASEAN-India Summit and 18th EAS Summit in Indonesia on September 7. Patra's post comes in wake of the speculation around the Centre bringing out a legislation in the upcoming special session of parliament to rename India as Bharat.

Earlier in the day, the Congress and other opposition parties alleged that the G20 dinner invite sent by Rashtrapati Bhawan had ‘President of Bharat’ instead of ‘President of India’ written over it.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an interview with PTI, in New Delhi. (PTI file)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an interview with PTI, in New Delhi. (PTI file)

The BJP, on the other hand, welcomed the move and hit out at the opposition bloc I.N.D.I.A for being averse to ‘Bharat’.

ALSO READ: Here are institutions in the country with ‘India’ and ‘Bharat’ in their names

“Who is opposing the name Bharat? Now have you even started feeling the pain at the mention of Bharat? These are the same people who put party before the nation and are stuck in the quicksand of politics. They also have attempted to malign the country from foreign soil”, Union minister Anurag Thakur was quoted by PTI as saying.

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma accused the opposition of trying to eliminate the Hindu religion and name ‘Bharat’.

“Bharat is as old as the sun and the moon. As long as the sun and the moon are in existence, Bharat will continue be in existence… Every state and its people want that the country be know as Bharat”, Sarma said.

ALSO READ: AAP MP Raghav Chadha's advice to I.N.D.I.A on ‘Bharat' row: ‘We might consider…’

‘Will require several amendments in Constitution’

Constitutional expert PDT Achary has told PTI that any change in name from Republic of India will require several amendments. The former Lok Sabha secretary general said, "They will have to amend the Constitution. Article 1 (will have to be changed) and then there will be resultant changes in all the other articles."

"Wherever India is used will have to go. You can have only one name for the country. There cannot be two names interchangeable, that will create a lot of confusion not only in India but outside also," he told PTI.

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