'There In The Constitution': Jaishankar On Row Over G20 Invitation Cards Mentioning 'Bharat'

S. Jaishankar said that India, that is, Bharat, is there in the Constitution, and meaning and understanding come with it.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

Source : Getty

Amid a row over invitation cards to the G20 Summit mentioning the President of Bharat, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that India, that is Bharat, is there in the Constitution, and a meaning and understanding come with it.

In an exclusive interview with ANI, the minister said that, "India, that is Bharat - it is there in the Constitution. I would invite everybody to read it...When you say Bharat, in a sense, a meaning and an understanding and a connotation that comes with it and I think that is reflected in our Constitution as well".

#WATCH | EAM Dr S Jaishankar speaks on the row over invitation cards to the G20 Summit, mentioning 'Bharat', India/Bharat debate

"India, that is Bharat - it is there in the Constitution. I would invite everybody to read it...When you say Bharat, in a sense, a meaning and an… pic.twitter.com/5tg6QTK86c

— ANI (@ANI) September 6, 2023

The minister was asked about the opposition parties’ reaction and if the government is going to reposition India as Bharat coinciding with the G20 summit. 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.

Jaishankar also spoke about the government’s efforts to hold G20 events in different parts of the country and said it is essential that today's India develops sharper global awareness. “Different cities, different states, different professions and generations, a sense of participation and ownership. And this is not restricted to the G20. It is a larger mindset. It could be in terms of today how you elect or select your political leaders, it could be about how economic benefits and social benefits are given.

"It could be about educational access, health access, I think the country in the last ten years has become much more democratized. That it isn't in the capital, it isn't only in the metropolitan cities, it isn't only even in the big cities, you've taken it out, anything good which has happened in this country has been taken out to the entirety of this country,” the foreign affairs minister said.

“It's absolutely essential that today's India must develop sharper global awareness. Global awareness, because we do see when Prime Minister speaks about Amrit Kaal, that we have this 25 years where enormous possibilities are there before us. But those possibilities are realizable only when you understand the world,” Jaishankar said.

Xi, Putin Representatives 'Coming With Great Deal Of Seriousness': Jaishankar

S Jaishankar reacted to Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin skipping the G20 Summit saying their representatives are coming "with great deal of seriousness".

In an interview with news agency ANI, the Union minister said that the absence of the two leaders will not cast a shadow on the Summit to be hosted by India on September 9 and 10. "I think, at different points of time in G20 there have been some Presidents or PMs who, for whatever reason, have chosen not to come themselves. But that country and its position is reflected by whoever is the representative on that occasion," he said. "I think everybody is coming with a great deal of seriousness," he added.