According to officials, this is the first time India's nomenclature for an official event has changed...
Digital Desk: For the first time, "President of Bharat" has been used in an official invitation to foreign leaders attending the weekend G20 summit, replacing the traditional "President of India". As the nation hosts the major event that will include speakers like UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and US Vice President Joe Biden, this is a significant shift in nomenclature on the global stage.
"President of Bharat" rather than "President of India" appears on President Droupadi Murmu's invitation to G20 foreign leaders and Chief Ministers for a dinner on September 9.
According to officials, this is the first time India's nomenclature for an official event has changed.
Officials note that the term "Bharat" appears in the Constitution as well. According to Article 1 of the Constitution, "India, which is also known as Bharat, shall be a Union of States."
The word "Bharat" was also used in a G20 booklet called "Bharat, The Mother Of Democracy" that was distributed to international delegations to promote India's G20 leadership and its long history of democratic values.
The booklet's opening words read, "In Bharat that is India, taking the consent of the people in governance has been part of life since earliest recorded history." The statement continues, "Bharat is the official name of the nation. It is mentioned in the Constitution and discussions from 1946 to 1948."
One of the first to praise the significant improvement was Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. He wrote on X, "REPUBLIC OF BHARAT - happy and proud that our civilisation is marching ahead boldly towards AMRIT KAAL."
While BJP leaders welcomed the move, the opposition sharply criticized it, linking it to the name of their front against the BJP in 2024, INDIA, or the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance.
RJD leader Manoj Jha said: "...It has just been a few weeks since we named our alliance as INDIA and BJP has started sending invitations with 'Republic of Bharat' instead of 'Republic of India'. Article 1 of the Constitution reads 'India that is Bharat'. Neither you will be able to take India from us nor Bharat."
"Will BJP replace 'Bharat' with something else, if the INDIA alliance changes its name to Bharat?" questioned Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, the leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
Leaders of the Congress also targeted the BJP.
JP Nadda, the head of the BJP, responded by calling the Congress "anti-national" and "anti-constitutional."
Just two days before, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ruling party's ideological mentor, had proposed that the nation be referred to as Bharat rather than India.
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said, "We must stop using the word India and start using Bharat. At times we use India to make those who speak English understand and this comes as the flow. However, we must stop using this. The name of the country Bharat will remain Bharat wherever you go in the world. Either, in spoken and written one must say Bharat.”
Since the opposition alliance adopted the abbreviation INDIA in July, the politics of India vs. Bharat have become increasingly divisive.
Rahul Gandhi said at the press conference where the name was announced, "The fight is between NDA and INDIA, Between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and INDIA, between BJP's ideology and INDIA. You know what happens when someone stands against India, who wins.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the opposition of trying to cover up their "sins" by misusing the name, which led to a significant backlash from the ruling BJP. "They changed their name from UPA to INDIA to hide how they schemed against the poor. The name INDIA is not to show their patriotism but to rob the country," he stated.
Politicians weren't the only ones to respond to the "Bharat" move.
Amitabh Bachchan's tweet was brief. "Bharat Mata ki Jai," the megastar wrote.
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