India’s government is reportedly contemplating a potential renaming of the country as “Bharat”.
The Narendra Modi-led government is likely to change India’s official name to ‘Bharat’ during the forthcoming special session scheduled for September 18-22, as reported by India Times, a local media outlet.
This move has been prompted by a growing demand to rename the nation as “Bharat,” which stands as an acronym for “Bring Harmony, Amity, Reconciliation And Trust.”
Government officials have already initiated the process of implementing these changes.
Official invitations to G20 dinners, issued by the Indian President, Draupadi Murmu, now bear the name ‘President of Bharat,’ diverging from the conventional ‘President of India’ title.
G-20 के बाद 9 तारीख को डिनर के लिए राष्ट्रपति की तरफ से भेजे गए इन्विटेशन में इस बार प्रेसिडेंट ऑफ़ इंडिया की जगह प्रेसिडेंट ऑफ भारत लिखा गया है
President Of Bharat | #PresidentOfBharat | #G20 | @kumarrgaurrav pic.twitter.com/DMuIFAvuVF
— News24 (@news24tvchannel) September 5, 2023
Congress leader, Jairam Ramesh confirmed this alteration on Twitter, noting that the official G20 dinner invitations from the Indian President now feature the title ‘President of Bharat’.
“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,” Ramesh wrote.
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.”…
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) September 5, 2023
In support of this renaming initiative, members of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have voiced their endorsement for the change.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed the belief that renaming the country to “Bharat” would signify India’s progression towards civilization.
REPUBLIC OF BHARAT – happy and proud that our civilisation is marching ahead boldly towards AMRIT KAAL
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) September 5, 2023
Even Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan referred to India as “Bharat” in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Advocates for this renaming argue that the term ‘India’ is perceived as a symbol of “colonial slavery” and should be removed from the constitution.
“The British changed Bharat’s name to India. Under Article 1, the Constitution states: ‘India, that is Bharat’.
“Our country has been known by the name ‘Bharat’ for thousands of years… it is this country’s ancient name and is found in ancient Sanskrit text,” the Rajya Sabha, the country’s upper house of parliament, said.
https://twitter.com/Bahubali369/status/1699026002155057630?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1699026002155057630%7Ctwgr%5E079d2ac2d4f0d8fcc2b1001f445feebd5dd8294d%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftimesofindia.indiatimes.com%2Fetimes%2Ftrending%2Fgovernment-proposes-renaming-india-to-bharat-to-avoid-political-confusion-netizens-react%2Farticleshow%2F103395561.cms
The name was always BHARAT
मेरा देश #भारत 🇮🇳pic.twitter.com/unf0O4kmx9
— Yogi Devnath 🇮🇳 (@MYogiDevnath) September 5, 2023
The name of our country is 'Bharat'. So why should we carry the jetsam of the Britishers word 'India': Rajiv Dixit
इंडिया शब्द नहीं, #भारत देश है!
Union of States नहीं, भारत राष्ट्र है!
Hindustan 🚩pic.twitter.com/UNTfKPYNCR
— Rajesh Nain 3.0𝕩 / Modi Ka Parivar/મોદી નો પરિવાર (@RajeshNain) September 5, 2023
The name of our country is 'Bharat'. So why should we carry the jetsam of the Britishers word 'India': Rajiv Dixit
इंडिया शब्द नहीं, #भारत देश है!
Union of States नहीं, भारत राष्ट्र है!
Hindustan 🚩pic.twitter.com/UNTfKPYNCR
— Rajesh Nain 3.0𝕩 / Modi Ka Parivar/મોદી નો પરિવાર (@RajeshNain) September 5, 2023
KanyiDaily recalls that in 2021, the House of Representatives had also received a proposal to change Nigeria’s name to the United African Republic or United Alkebulan Republic (UAR).