'President of Bharat' On G20 Invite: Oppn Questions Move Amid Name Change Rumours, BJP Hits Back — Top Points

Speculations are strife that the Centre may bring a proposal to rename India as Bharat during the upcoming special session of Parliament slated to be convened from September 18 to 22.

The move kicked off a political storm in the country.

Source : PTI | X/@Raghav Chadha

New Delhi: The G20 dinner invitations sent out by President Droupadi Murmu describing her position as 'President of Bharat' instead of the customary 'President of India' has kicked off a political storm in the country.

The opposition alleged that the move was reflective of the BJP being scared of the INDIA bloc, while the ruling party asserted that there was nothing wrong in using Bharat as it is part of the Constitution.

The opposition parties also have alleged that the Modi government is planning to drop India and stay with just Bharat as the country's name.

Meanwhile, speculations are strife that the BJP-led government may bring a proposal to rename India as Bharat during the upcoming special session of Parliament slated to be convened from September 18 to 22.

G20 Invitations From 'President Of Bharat' Trigger Row:

• Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X, "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."
  
  
• West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee said, "We all know India is Bharat, but the world knows us as India." "What changed suddenly that we should use only Bharat," she asked.
  
  
• Tamil Nadu CM M K Stalin also lashed out at the government over the issue, saying that 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."
  
  
• Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal asked whether the BJP would change the name of Bharat if the opposition alliance INDIA rechristens itself Bharat.
  
  
• Praising Narendra Modi, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that this is the prime minister's move to come out of the mindset of slavery. "I think it is a proud moment for all Indians that ‘President of Bharat’ is written on the invitation. It is a move by PM Modi to come out of the mindset of slavery," he told ANI.
  
  
• Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said that the name should have been changed much earlier. "This should have happened earlier. This gives great satisfaction to the mind. 'Bharat' is our introduction. We are proud of it. The President has given priority to 'Bharat'. This is the biggest statement to come out of the colonial mindset."
  
  
• BJP general secretary Tarun Chugh slammed the opposition, saying sometimes they have a problem with Vande Mataram and other times they have an issue with nationalism. "Bharat word is not new. It has been used since ancient times. Bharat Mata and Vande Mataram are in our blood and nothing will happen by your opposition," he said.
  
  
• In a post on X, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, "REPUBLIC OF BHARAT -  happy and proud that our civilisation is marching ahead boldly towards AMRIT KAAL."
  
  
• BJP president J P Nadda accused the Congress of having no respect for either the country or the constitution and constitutional institutions, as he asked why the opposition party hates the chant 'Bharat mata ki jai'.
  
  
• Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said while there is no constitutional objection to calling India 'Bharat', he hopes the government will not be so foolish as to completely dispense with 'India' which has incalculable brand value.