Emergence of Golwalkar's 'Bharat'

The hottest debate going on right now is the renaming of India. Political parties are looking at this move as a measure to deal with the opposition alliance of 27 parties I.N.D.I.A. Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal asked if the opposition alliance changes its name to 'Bharat', will the BJP change the country's name again. K.C. Venugopal also said it is only a political move to defend itself against the I.N.D.I.A alliance. Both statements underscore the public sentiment. However, some people also think it is the beginning of the Sangh Parivar agenda to change the country's name from India to Bharat. They perceive that the BJP government is making the G20 summit a golden opportunity for that. They also argue that this is the first step to shaping the country into the Akhand Bharat vision by Golwalkar. This construction is backed by the statements by RSS leader Mohan Bhagwat in Assam and Sangh Parivar's history. The name Bharat is used only in the first paragraph of our constitution, and this is to define India. Both India and Bharat are used interchangeably in public affairs and government documents. However, in places where the official name of the country is required, only 'India' is used. In the UN, the country is documented as the 'Republic of India'. Where the position of the President is specified in the Constitution, It is said that India will have a president. Our heads of state and officials representing the state have followed this precedent for decades, and now the Centre has overturned it. This move is led by the Prime Minister and the President of the country and is being carried out at the behest of theSangh Parivar.

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The controversy was ignited when Congress leader Jayaram Ramesh shared the G20 Summit invitation from the President. However, it is easy to understand that this is not by any mistake. It is not a coincidence that both the President and Prime Minister avpided the term 'India' from their invitations and used the term 'Bharat' instead. After the Constitution came into existence, this was the first time the PM and President consciously used 'Bharat' instead of 'India' as the nation's name. However, it is equally notable that the official reports of the PM's visit to Greece and Indonesia last week also mention "Prime Minister of Bharat" instead of "Prime Minister of India". This is precisely in tune with the vision of Akhand Bharat Hindutva nation propounded by Sangh Parivar and Golwalkar. Bharat is the name of that idea. Significantly, RSS leader Mohan Bhagwat, at a rally at Assam two days ago, asked people to end using the term 'India' and only use 'Bharat'.

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What the Sangh Parivar aims through the India-Bharat name dispute is an attack on the cultural and political vision of integrity and culture of the country. The BJP has been worried about how to deal with the Opposition alliance I.N.D.I.A (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance). At first, the Prime Minister tried to nudge communal sentiments by saying that the term 'India' is present in the Indian Mujahideen and East India Company as well. But, when the Opposition's I.N.D.I.A alliance has got stronger and gone beyond the BJP's calculations, and also advocate precise political slogans, much to the consternation of the BJP camp. But then this has only led the Centre and Sangh Parivar to plan using communal division even more than earlier. That is why the BJP has now resorted to puerile and ridiculous steps like changing the country's name which is a move that will also affect the country's standing on the international stage. The BJP calculates that by using the G20 summit to this end will divert attention from discussions about the development of the country ahead of the elections. In the longer term, the BJP also plans to tune the country towards the design of a Hindu nation, a century-old dream of the RSS. To make it possible, it is imperative for them that the India of pluralism and mutual co-existence should cease to exist. What the central government is busy doing is aimed at that.

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