The decision to use ‘President of Bharat’ instead of the usual ‘President of India’ on official G20 Summit invitations has sparked a significant discussion. This move, happening just before a special parliamentary session, has raised political tensions.
Here’re the 10 Major Points Explaining the Complete Bharat vs Indian Renaming Controversy:
- The use of “Bharat” is getting attention in a G20 booklet for foreign delegates called “Bharat, The Birthplace of Democracy.” The booklet explains that “Bharat” is the official name of the country, as stated in the Constitution and the discussions in 1946-48.
- This signals a notable shift in how the country is named on the world stage as it prepares to welcome US President Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and other prominent world leaders.
- Last night, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra shared a document about the Prime Minister’s visit to Indonesia, where he was referred to as the “Prime Minister of Bharat.”
- Insiders suggest that the government might propose changing the country’s name during the upcoming five-day special parliamentary session starting on September 18. The lack of an official agenda announcement has added to the speculation.
- The decision faced harsh criticism from the Opposition. Members of the Opposition INDIA bloc accused the Narendra Modi government of “altering history and causing division within India.” Congress Chief Mallikarjun Kharge has called a meeting of senior alliance leaders to discuss the issue.
- They linked the government’s decision to their alliance’s formation. Arvind Kejriwal, the leader of AAP, asked if the ruling party would change the country’s name to ‘BJP’ if the opposition alliance chose to be called ‘Bharat’.
- Sharad Pawar, the leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), said that no one should have the right to change the country’s name. He expressed his confusion about why the ruling party is bothered by a name (INDIA bloc) associated with the nation.
- BJP leaders welcomed the use of “Bharat” as the country’s name and criticized the Opposition for being unpatriotic and against the constitution. They pointed out that the term “Bharat” is also in Article 1 of the Constitution, which states: “India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States.”
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- Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan stated that choosing ‘Bharat’ is a strong stance against colonial thinking. He added, “This should have been done earlier, and it makes me proud. ‘Bharat’ is our identity, and we take pride in it. The President has given it importance.”
- The controversy started just two days after the leader of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the BJP’s ideological mentor, recommended switching from “India” to “Bharat” as the country’s name. RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat said, “We should stop using ‘India’ and start using ‘Bharat.’ The name ‘Bharat’ remains the same worldwide, whether spoken or written.”
