Amid the ongoing row that was triggered after Rashtrapati Bhavan (the President’s House) sent out invites for a G20 dinner on September 9 in the name of the President of Bharat instead of the usual President of India, Pakistan is eyeing the name ‘India.’
According to media reports, Pakistan could claim the name ‘India’ if its recognition is officially revoked at the UN level. Earlier too, Pakistan argued that ‘India’ refers to the Indus region.
Opposition slams BJP over India vs Bharat row
Meanwhile, the opposition started slamming the BJP over the India vs. Bharat row. Some have alleged that the BJP is fearful of an INDIA alliance and is attempting to change the country’s name from India to Bharat.
Terming it a blatant attempt to distort the country’s history, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a scathing attack against the BJP and the government for sending out invites for the G20 dinner from Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut stated on Wednesday that changing the name of India to Bharat amounts to ‘an insult’ to the Constitution framed by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar. He pointed out that the country’s Constitution had incorporated both ‘India’ and ‘Bharat,’ and nobody had any problems with the usage of ‘India’ for all these years. So, he questioned who has given them the right to make the name change now.
Govt may remove word ‘India’ from constitution
The government may remove the word “India” from the Constitution, according to media reports. This move is reportedly being considered in the upcoming Special Session of Parliament scheduled to be held from September 18 to 22.
It remains to be seen whether the central government will actually remove the word “India” from the Constitution and make “Bharat” the only name of the country. If that happens, it raises the question of whether Pakistan will indeed claim the name ‘India.’
Historical facts about ‘Bharat’
As per Article 1(1) of the Indian Constitution, ‘India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States.’
The article clearly mentions that India can also be known as Bharat. The decision to have two names for the country was taken in the Constituent Assembly as members were divided over the name.
Even Jinnah was against British India adopting “India” as its name for the newly independent country. He had suggested Hindustan or Bharat.
Apart from that, the name ‘Bharat’ has roots in Sanskrit, and it was the name of a famous king in the medieval era.
