- The dinner invites for world leaders during the upcoming G20 Summit in New Delhi have been sent out in the name of the ‘President of Bharat’ instead of the customary ‘President of India’.
- While the presidential invite drew criticism from senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma proclaimed India as the “Republic of Bharat”.
- Leaders of the ruling BJP, hinted that the country’s name change is on the cards.
- Article 1 of the Indian constitution declares that ‘India, that is Bharat’ is a ‘Union of States’.
- Constitutionally, Bharat is the official Sanskrit name of the country, Bharat Ganarajya; Republic of India.
Invites for a dinner to be hosted at Rashtrapati Bhavan on September 9 for world leaders during the upcoming G20 Summit in New Delhi have been sent out in the name of the ‘President of Bharat’ instead of the customary ‘President of India’, sources confirmed to news agencies.
It is learnt that since the entire G20 exercise and related events are being steered by the Ministry of External Affairs, the move would have been in consonance with that. While the presidential invite drew criticism from senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma proclaimed India as the “Republic of Bharat”.
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’,” Ramesh said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. Ramesh further posted, “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.”
Soon after Ramesh’s tweet, Sarma proclaimed India as the “Republic of Bharat”. He said, “Republic of Bharat- happy and proud that our civilization is marching ahead boldly towards Amrit Kaal.”
This comes in the wake of the special session of Parliament – slated for September 18-22 – wherein it is widely being speculated that a proposal is being prepared to remove the word ‘India’ from the Constitution. Notably, there have been calls from sections of the ruling dispensation that “India, that is Bharat” be removed from Article 1 of the Constitution and only the word ‘Bharat’ be used.
Leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), including party chief JP Nadda, meanwhile, hinted at a name change. Nadda questioned the Congress over what he said were its repeated objections to issues regarding the nation’s ‘honour’ and ‘pride.’
In a potential overhaul that could reset the central identification point of the Indian republic, top Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma indicated that the official name of the Indian republic is set to be changed. “REPUBLIC OF BHARAT – happy and proud that our civilization is marching ahead boldly towards AMRIT KAAL,” Sarma wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Article 1 of the Indian constitution declares that ‘India, that is Bharat’ is a ‘Union of States’. The inaugural article of India’s constitution further defines India’s territory as well as its nomenclature-related aspects.
The word ‘India’ comes from the word ‘Indus’, named after the Indus (or Sindhu) river that flows through Tibet, India’s Jammu, and Kashmir, and traverses most of Pakistan. The Greeks and Iranians called it ‘Hindos’ or ‘Indos’ meaning the land to the east of the river called Indus. Following colonial conquests by the Dutch, French, and British, it was used for the country of India. In an ancient Indian text, Vishnu Puran, the name Bharat is mentioned as the one that lies north of the ocean and south of snow mountains
Constitutionally, Bharat is the official Sanskrit name of the country, Bharat Ganarajya; Republic of India. So far, the names Bharat and India have often been used interchangeably, and Bharat is interpreted as an indigenous translation of the word India. The passports issued to Indian citizens, too, were born with the official names Bharat Ganrajya (in Hindi) and Republic of India (in English).
Just two days ago, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat had pitched for calling ‘India’ ‘Bharat’ while speaking at an event organized by Sakal Jain Samaj in Guwahati. Urging people to inculcate the habit, Bhagwat said that the name Bharat has been continuing since ancient times and must be taken forward.
The G20 Leaders’ Summit 2023 will take place from September 9-10 at the Bharat Mandapam in the international convention and exhibition center at Pragati Maidan.
(With inputs from agencies)
