"Republic Of Bharat" – President's G20 Dinner Invite Sparks Buzz

Officials say this is the first change of India’s nomenclature for any official event.

New Delhi:

The term “President of Bharat” has been used for the first time in an official invite to heads of state attending the weekend G20 summit, replacing the traditional “President of India”. This marks a significant shift in nomenclature on the international stage as the country hosts the mega event.

President Droupadi Murmu’s invite to G20 foreign leaders and Chief Ministers for a dinner on September 9, says: “President of Bharat” instead of “President of India”.

Officials say this is the first change of India’s nomenclature for any official event.

The term “Bharat” is also in the Constitution, officials point out. “India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States,” it says in Article 1 of the Constitution.

President Droupadi Murmu’s invite to G20 foreign leaders and Chief Ministers for a dinner on September 9.

“Bharat” has also been used in a G20 booklet handed to foreign delegates, titled “Bharat, The Mother Of Democracy”, to highlight, in India’s G20 presidency, its rich democratic ethos for thousands of years.

“In Bharat that is India, taking the consent of the people in governance has been part of life since earliest recorded history,” are the opening words of the booklet.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was among the first to cheer the big change. “REPUBLIC OF BHARAT –  happy and proud that our civilisation is marching ahead boldly towards AMRIT KAAL,” he posted on X, formerly Twitter.

While BJP leaders welcomed the move, the presidential invite drew a sharp response from the opposition.

“The BJP’s recent move to change the reference from ‘President of India’ to ‘President of Bharat’ on official G20 summit invitations 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,” posted Raghav Chadha, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader.

Congress leaders also targeted the BJP.

Article 52 – Constitution of India.

There shall be a President of INDIA

Can’t get more explicit than this – Can it ??????? pic.twitter.com/9OoPcLBktW

— Manish Tewari (@ManishTewari) September 5, 2023

To which, BJP president JP Nadda had a retort.

कांग्रेस को देश के सम्मान एवं गौरव से जुड़े हर विषय से इतनी आपत्ति क्यों है?

भारत जोड़ो के नाम पर राजनीतिक यात्रा करने वालों को “भारत माता की जय” के उद्घोष से नफरत क्यों है?

स्पष्ट है कि कांग्रेस के मन में न देश के प्रति सम्मान है, न देश के संविधान के प्रति और न ही संवैधानिक…

— Jagat Prakash Nadda (@JPNadda) September 5, 2023

Just two days ago, the suggestion that the country should be called Bharat instead of India had come from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological mentor of the ruling party.

“We must stop using the word India and start using Bharat. At times we use India to make those who speak English understand. This comes as the flow. However, we must stop using this…The name of the country Bharat will remain Bharat wherever you go in the world. In spoken and written one must say Bharat,” said RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat.

The India versus Bharat debate intensified after the opposition alliance adopted the acronym INDIA – Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance – in July.

“The fight is between NDA and INDIA, Between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and INDIA, between their (the BJP’s) ideology and INDIA. You know what happens when someone stands against India, who wins,” Rahul Gandhi explained during a press conference.

The name triggered a huge backlash from the ruling BJP, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi accusing the opposition of trying to whitewash their “sins” by misusing the name. “They changed their name from UPA to INDIA to hide how they schemed against the poor… The name INDIA is not to show their patriotism but with an intention to rob the country,” he said.