India turns ‘Bharat’, Is it true?

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to move a resolution to rename the country 'Bharat' during a five-day special session in parliament starting September 18, reported Indian media on Tuesday.

According to media reports, the Indian Constitution currently refers to the country as "India, that is Bharat…", but there’s a high demand to amend it to simply "Bharat". They added that the demand has intensified over time and sources have said New Delhi may bring a resolution to rename India.

Advocates for the name change believe that having a single, indigenous name for the country will instill “a sense of national pride and reinforce the country's rich cultural heritage.”

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also took to X (formerly known as Twitter) and wrote, “Republic of Bharat - happy and proud that our civilisation is marching ahead boldly towards Amrit Kaal.”

According to an Indian publication, Congress claimed that the masthead of a dinner invite from the president’s office sent to G20 summit delegates described Droupadi Murmu as the “President of Bharat”, instead of the usual “President of India”. “Article 1 in the Constitution can read: ‘Bharat, that was India, shall be a Union of States’,” the party’s General Secretary Jairam Ramesh tweeted. “But now even this ‘Union of States’ is under assault.”

Defending the use of the name Bharat, top Bharat Janta Party (BJP) leader JP Nadda asked why the Congress party has “an objection to every subject related to the honour and pride of the country?"

“Why do political yatras in the name of Bharat Jodo hate the proclamation of ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai?’ It is clear that Congress has neither respect for the country, nor for the constitution of the country, nor for the constitutional institutions. He just means to praise a particular family. The whole country knows very well the anti-national and anti-constitutional intentions of the Congress," Nadda added in a post on X. “What suddenly happened that India needs to be called only Bharat,” argued Banerjee on the site.

Mohan Bhagwat, the leader of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), also supported this change. In the past, Bhagwat had encouraged people to refer to the nation as "Bharat" instead of "India," stating that historically the country was called "Bharat" for many centuries.

Prime Minister Modi has echoed similar sentiments as well. On August 15, 2022, during his speech from the Red Fort, he called upon citizens to make five pledges, one of which was a commitment to rid themselves of any remnants of colonial influence. The gesture was seen as a symbolic move towards embracing the country's indigenous identity.

It was also reported that a specially designated aircraft used for the transportation of the president, vice president, and prime minister of India has the name "Bharat" inscribed on it.

As the special session of the Indian parliament commences on September 18, there is speculation that a constitutional amendment bill may be introduced to effect this change.