'President Of Bharat': G20 dinner invite sparks row
The Rashtrapati Bhavan's official dinner invite to foreign leaders and chief ministers during the G20 Summit has triggered a row. It reportedly reads "President of Bharat"—instead of the traditional "President of India"—marking the first-ever change in nomenclature. The opposition attacked the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for launching an "assault" on India, while the BJP said Congress hates the slogan "Bharat mata ki jai."
Why does this story matter?
Several BJP leaders have recently changed "India" to "Bharat" in the bios of their social media accounts after the Congress-led opposition bloc named its alliance the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA). The development has also fanned speculations that the country's name could be changed permanently to "Bharat" in the special session of Parliament called by the Centre from September 18 to 22.
'Bharat, that was India': Congress's Jairam Ramesh
Opposition bloc earlier added 'Bharat' to its tagline
The BJP and the opposition are seemingly engaged in a competition to prove their nationalism since both sides have been accusing each other of being "anti-national." After the opposition named its alliance INDIA in July, BJP leader and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the acronym was a symbol of "colonial legacies." Following this, the bloc declared its tagline as "Jeetega Bharat."
National identity not BJP's personal property: AAP's Raghav Chadha
On Tuesday, Sarma was at the forefront of lauding the name change. "REPUBLIC OF BHARAT - happy and proud that our civilization is marching ahead boldly towards AMRIT KAAL," he posted on X (formerly Twitter). However, opposing the change, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)'s MP Raghav Chadha tweeted, "Our national identity is not the BJP's personal property that it can modify on whims and fancies."
Stop using 'India,' say 'Bharat': RSS chief
Following criticism, BJP chief JP Nadda slammed the Congress, saying it took out a political rally named "Bharat Jodo Yatra" but hates anything related to the nation's pride and honor. The controversy came on the heels of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat saying, "We must stop using the word India and start using Bharat." The RSS is reportedly the BJP's ideological parent.
