Rumoured name change from 'India' to 'Bharat' sparks political debate

New Delhi: Discussions regarding the use of 'Bharat' instead of 'India' in official invites for G20 have ignited a political debate among political parties.

The use of 'President of Bharat' in place of 'President of India' in an official invite for the G20 summit has raised questions and elicited strong reactions from political leaders across the spectrum. This led to speculations about a possible attempt to change the name of the country from 'India' to 'Bharat.'

MK Stalin, DMK President and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, was among the first to react. He alleged that the BJP wanted to change 'India' into 'Bharat' and suggested that this move was in response to the unity displayed by the opposition bloc in naming their alliance 'INDIA.' Stalin questioned the BJP's promise to transform India, stating that all they had achieved was a name change.

Kanimozhi, DMK Lok Sabha MP, expressed concerns about the change in the invite, hinting at the influence of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a right-wing Hindu nationalist organisation, in the decision. She raised questions about whether the RSS was effectively running the country instead of the BJP.

Arvind Kejriwal, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Chief, added a touch of humour to the debate by questioning whether the BJP would change the country's name to 'BJP' if the opposition alliance decided to call itself 'Bharat.' He emphasised that the country belongs to its 1.4 billion citizens and not to any one political party.

However, he also tweeted that he has received no official information that a name change is happening.

Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha also tweeted and declared that the country does not belong to one political party. "The BJP's recent move to change the reference from 'President of India' to 'President of Bharat' on official G20 summit invitations has raised eyebrows and ignited a public debate. How can the BJP strike down 'INDIA'? The country doesn't belong to a political party; it belongs to 135 crore Indians. Our national identity is not the BJP's personal property that it can modify on whims and fancies. Judega Bharat. Jeetega INDIA," he wrote on X.

Sharad Pawar, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Chief, emphasised that no one had the right to change the country's name, and this was a topic for discussion among the INDIA alliance party heads.

"I have heard that they are changing the name of India. The invites in the name of the President say Bharat. What's new in this? We say India in English and Bharat in Hindi. Even we say Bharat. But the world knows the country as India. What happened suddenly that the country's name will be changed? Will the name of kabi thakur (Rabindranath Tagore) also be changed," said Mamata Banerjee, West Bengal CM.

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav also responded and said: "Till a few days ago, they kept saying 'Vote for India'. Now they want to hide the India name and write Bharat. But there is no difference between India and Bharat. One is in English and one is in Hindi. So these decisions are being taken because they are nervous."

"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'," said Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor also spoke up about the name change and said: "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."

The use of 'President of Bharat' in the official invite has also led to BJP leaders welcoming the change and criticising the opposition for not respecting the country and its Constitution.

Himanta Biswa Sarma, Assam Chief Minister, expressed pride in the use of 'Bharat' and indicated that it was a positive step for the nation. The BJP also questioned why some parties "object to every issue related to the honour and pride of the country."

"Why does the Congress object so much to every issue related to the honour and pride of the country? Why does a party that took out a political yatra in the name of Bharat Jodo hate the proclamation of Bharat Mata Ki Jai? It is clear that the Congress has no respect for the country, Constitution, or constitutional institutions," asked JP Nadda, BJP President.

Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said this should have happened earlier. "It gives me great satisfaction. 'Bharat' is our introduction and we are proud of it. The President has given priority to 'Bharat'. I am certain the country will be very happy on learning of this. This is a big statement against the colonial mindset."

Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan expressed support for the move and tweeted "Bharat Mata Ki Jai."

The use of 'India' and 'Bharat' has historical and linguistic significance, and many believe that both names should be retained rather than relinquishing the country's claim to a name that has been recognised worldwide for centuries.