Political 'Mahabharat' over G20 invite from 'President of Bharat'

The invite immediately triggered speculation about the government’s plan to change the name of the country from India to Bharat and some suggested that a resolution on the same could be tabled in the Special Session of Parliament to be held soon.

Invitations sent out for a G20 dinner describing host Droupadi Murmu as the 'President of Bharat' and not the President of India on Tuesday triggered a massive debate and sparked speculation about a possible renaming of the country, with the I.N.D.I.A bloc claiming that the ruling BJP was worried about the Opposition alliance and asserting none could take away India or Bharat from their hearts.

The invite for the dinner at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on September 9 at 8 pm began with the statement, “The President of Bharat requests the pleasure of the company of....”. The Protocol Section of the Ministry of External Affairs will be coordinating the event.

This is the first time the term 'President of Bharat' has been used for an official invite to foreign leaders, including Joe Biden and Rishi Sunak who are attending the G20 summit, in place of 'President of India'.

The nomenclature in the invite immediately triggered speculation about a possible plan to change the name of the country from India to Bharat, and some suggested that a resolution on the same could be tabled in the upcoming Special Session of Parliament.

Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan lent credence to the speculation by sharing his invitation on X (formerly Twitter) with a hashtag #PresidentOfBharat' saying, “Jana Gana Mana Adhinayak Jaya He, Bharat Bhagya Vidhata”.

Soon after copies of the invite became available in the public domain, senior Congress MP Manish Tewari cited Article 52 of the Constitution, which said, “there shall be a President of India”. He said on X, “can’t get more explicit than this. Can it??????”

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was quick to ask whether the government would rename the country again if the I.N.D.I.A bloc changed its name to 'Bharat', implying that the move was born out of panic within the BJP.

"There is no official information about it but I have heard rumours. Why is this happening? Some parties have come together to form the I.N.D.I.A bloc. If I.N.D.I.A alliance changes its name to Bharat, will they rename Bharat?," Kejriwal said.

Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal alleged that the BJP's “destructive mind can only think of how to divide people” and once again alleged they were “creating a rift” between Indians and Bharatiyas.

“Let's be clear - we are the same! As Article 1 says - India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States. This is petty politics because they are scared of INDIA. Try what you will, Modi-ji. Judega Bharat, Jeetega INDIA!” he said.

On the other side of the political spectrum, the rumours were celebrated within the BJP, with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswas Sarma posting on X, “Republic of Bharat -- Happy and proud that our civilisation is marching ahead boldly towards Amrit Kaal.”

Senior BJP MP Harnath Singh alleged the word India is an “abuse given to us by the British whereas the word 'Bharat' is a symbol of our culture. I want a change in our Constitution and the word 'Bharat' should be added to it”.

Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh alleged that 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!” he posted on X.

Taking a dig at the Assam Chief Minister, Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale said, “legally, the usage is 'Bharat Ganrajya’ (in Hindi) or ‘Republic of India’. What fusion is (this) Republic of Bharat? The party of clowns can’t even perform their circus correctly.”

Senior RJD MP Manoj K Jha said he never thought that the government and the BJP would be troubled by their coalition I.N.D.I.A, which was only formed a few weeks ago.

“Article 1 of the Constitution clearly states that India, that is Bharat, is a union of states. They should read our tagline ‘Judega Bharat, Jeetega India’. At least remember BR Ambedkar. You garland him but he is not there inside your heart. You won’t be able to take India and Bharat from our hearts,” he said.

PDP chief Mehbooba said the BJP's aversion to India’s foundational principle of unity in diversity has touched a "new low".

"By reducing India’s many names from Hindustan and India to now only Bharat shows its pettiness & intolerance. For the first time in India’s post-independence history, a party with a brute majority is treating the entire country as its fiefdom," she added.

Senior Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said while there is no constitutional objection to calling India “Bharat”, which is one of the country’s two official names, he expressed hope the government will not be so foolish as to completely dispense with “India”, which has incalculable brand value built up over centuries.

“We should continue to use both words rather than relinquish our claim to a name redolent of history, a name that is recognised around the world,” he added.

AAP MP Raghav Chadha said the government move has raised eyebrows and ignited a public debate.

“How can the BJP strike down 'INDIA'? The country doesn't belong to a political party; it belongs to 135 crore Indians. Our national identity is not the BJP's personal property that it can modify on whims and fancies. Judega Bharat, Jeetega INDIA,” he posted on X.