INDIA: A resolution to rename India Bharat is likely to be discussed during the upcoming Special Session of Parliament, sources stated on Tuesday. It is suggested that Article 1 of the Indian Constitution, which currently reads “India, that is, Bharat, shall be a Union of States,” could be subject to amendment.
While there is no official confirmation of this development, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s enigmatic post on X (formerly known as Twitter), which hailed the ‘Republic of Bharat’, fueled speculation in political circles.
“REPUBLIC OF BHARAT—happy and proud that our civilization is marching ahead boldly towards AMRIT KAAL,” the CM of Assam wrote on X. This post led to speculation among opposition leaders that the ruling BJP may propose renaming India to ‘Bharat’ during the upcoming special session of Parliament from September 18 to 22.
The Assam Chief Minister’s puzzling post followed Congress MP Jairam Ramesh’s revelation that he had received invites to a G20 Summit dinner at Rashtrapati Bhawan under the moniker ‘President of Bharat’ rather than ‘President of India.’
“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’. 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,” Jairam Ramesh wrote on X.
While asserting that the BJP is scared of the moniker ‘India,’ Pramod Tiwari, a congress MP, stated, “PM Modi had given names like ‘Make in India’, ‘Skill India’, ‘Khelo India’. They (BJP) are scared of the word ‘India’, Article 1 of the Constitution says—India, that is Bharat.” He asked, “How can this name (India) be removed?”
RJD MP Manoj Jha escalated his attack on the Centre’s speculated plan to rename India, saying, “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 can take India from us nor Bharat.”
Meanwhile, Tarun Chugh, the national general secretary of the BJP, questioned the controversy surrounding the use of ancient names like ‘Bharat’ instead of ‘India’.
He continued, “Why are you feeling ashamed, Jairam Ramesh? Our nation has been called Bharat since ancient times, and it is even mentioned in our Constitution. They are trying to create misunderstandings for no reason.”
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