Will India be changed to Bharat officially? President's invite sparks row

A political controversy has erupted after the Rashtrapati Bhawan sent out an invite for a G-20 dinner on Sept 9th in the name of the ‘President of Bharat’ instead of the ‘President of India’. Many political leaders expressed concerns after the invitation from the government revealed that instead of India, the invite reads Bharat, a Hindi name of India.

Former cabinet minister and congress party member, Jairam Ramesh wrote on its X account, “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.”

He further writes, “Mr. Modi can continue to distort history and divide India, that is Bharat, that is a Union of States. But we will not be deterred. After all, what is the objective of INDIA parties? It is BHARAT—Bring Harmony, Amity, Reconciliation And Trust. Judega BHARAT Jeetega INDIA!”

Mr. Modi can continue to distort history and divide India, that is Bharat, that is a Union of States. But we will not be deterred.

After all, what is the objective of INDIA parties?

It is BHARAT—Bring Harmony, Amity, Reconciliation And Trust.

Judega BHARAT
Jeetega INDIA! https://t.co/L0gsXUEEEK
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) September 5, 2023

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK President, MK Stalin wrote, “After Non-BJP forces united to dethrone the fascist BJP regime and aptly named their alliance #India, now the BJP wants to change ‘India’ for ‘Bharat.’ BJP promised to TRANSFORM India, but all we got is a name change after 9 years! Seems like the BJP is rattled by a single term called India because they recognise the strength of unity within the opposition. During the elections, ‘India’ will chase BJP out of power!”

After Non-BJP forces united to dethrone the fascist BJP regime and aptly named their alliance #INDIA, now the BJP wants to change 'India' for 'Bharat.'

BJP promised to TRANSFORM India, but all we got is a name change after 9 years!

Seems like the BJP is rattled by a single term…
— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) September 5, 2023

The political row erupted after the dinner invitation from President Droupadi Murmu to foreign leaders attending the summit describing her as the “President of Bharat” and not as the ‘President of India’ like it had been in the past.

While opposition leaders questioned the intention of the BJP government for this move, several ministers from the government hailed the decision.

Reacting to Jairam Ramesh, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma wrote on X, “Now my apprehension has proven to be true. The Congress party seems to have a strong aversion towards Bharat. It appears that the name ‘I.N.D.I alliance’ was intentionally chosen with the aim of defeating BHARAT.”

"Now my apprehension has proven to be true. The Congress party seems to have a strong aversion towards Bharat. It appears that the name 'I.N.D.I alliance' was intentionally chosen with the aim of defeating BHARAT." https://t.co/fTFPz1oZk4
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) September 5, 2023

Some believe that this move comes after Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat said that the country should be called Bharat instead of India. According to some reports, the BJP government may change the name of the country officially to Bharat. However, there has not been any confirmation regarding that from the government.

In recent years, there has been a growing demand to popularize the use of the word “Bharat” instead of India. This is driven by a number of factors, including political and cultural. However, the movement has also been criticized by some people who argue that it is divisive in nature.

India is hosting the G-20 summit to be held from 9-10 September where leaders from top-20 countries will be participating. The G-20 meeting will be held in New Delhi where security has been beefed up and certain NDMC areas will have restricted movements of traffic.