Union Minister Anurag Thakur.
Credit: PTI Photo
A political controversy over the name of the nation erupted on Tuesday after the government sent out a G20 Summit dinner invitation in the name of the 'President of Bharat' rather than the President of India, just two weeks before Parliament special session, the agenda of which is still not clear.
As the Opposition criticised the ruling BJP, Narendra Modi was referred to as the 'Prime Minister of Bharat' in a government booklet about the PM's trip to Indonesia for the 20th ASEAN-India Summit and the 18th East Asia Summit, a screengrab of which was shared by BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra.
Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur rejected the speculations that the Parliament special session has been called to bring into effect the name change of India to Bharat and termed them as just “rumours”. In a conversation with the Indian Express, he said, “I think these are just rumours which are taking place. All I want to say is that anyone who objects to the word Bharat clearly shows the mindset.”
Asserting that he is a minister of the Bharat Sarkar, Thakur added, "There is nothing new in it. G20-2023 (branding, logo) will have both Bharat and India written. So, why this objection to the name Bharat? Why does anyone have an objection to Bharat? This shows their mentality, that in their hearts they are against India or Bharat. When they go overseas, they criticise Bharat. When they are in India, they have objection to the name of Bharat.
“India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States” as written in Article 1 of the Indian Constitution, was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on September 18, 1949.
A five-day special session of the Parliament is said to begin on September 18, 2023, which in turn made the Opposition parties think that the renaming of the country could be the reason for this special session.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan shared the 'President of Bharat' invitation on X (formerly known as Twitter).
Assam CM and BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma also wrote on X, “Republic of Bharat – happy and proud that our civilisation is marching ahead boldly towards Amrit Kaal”
“It is clearly written in our Constitution: India, that is Bharat. The name Bharat has been in usage for thousands of years. So, there is no need to give any new name to Bharat. Our country was Bharat, is Bharat and will remain Bharat,” Himanta told reporters.