A new argument has broken out between the NDA and the INDIA bloc since the invitations to a G20 summit banquet held at the Rashtrapati Bhawan were printed with "President of Bharat" rather than "President of India."
It was posted on social media platform X by Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who shared an image of the invite and used the hashtag '#PresidentOfBharat' and said, 'Jana Gana Mana Adhinayak Jaya He, Bharat Bhagya Vidhata'.
Following the tweet, the leaders of the opposition have questioned the government's intentions and said that the "Union of States" is being attacked. Invoking Article 1 of the Constitution, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh charged that the administration was undermining the concept of a Union of States.
He 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'". He alleged, "Now, Article 1 of the Constitution can read: ‘Bharat, that was India, shall be a Union of States. But now even this "Union of States" is under assaults’."
The Congress accused the BJP government of being "scared" of the INDIA bloc and deflecting attention away from pressing concerns like price increases and "rising joblessness" over a G20 dinner invitation referring to President Droupadi Murmu as "President of Bharat."
Social media reacts to India vs Bharat
Amitabh Bachchan, a prominent actor, has garnered attention for his most recent tweet amid the ongoing debate about using the word "Bharat" instead of "India." Taking to X, Amitabh wrote in Hindi, “Bharat Mata Ki Jai.” As his tweet came during the India-Bharat row, it seems like Big B has just showcased his support in favour of India's name change. Soon after Bachchan shared the tweet, several fans lauded the actor for his support. Apart from Bachchan, cricketer Virender Sehwag also came out strongly in favour of Bharat.
Govt may bring resolution in Parliament's special session
A proposal to rename India officially to "Bharat" is expected to be presented by the Modi government during the session of Parliament, which is planned to take place from September 18 to 22. Multiple BJP leaders including Assam chief minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, came out in support of renaming the country 'Bharat'. “Our country is 'Bharat', there should be no doubt about this. Congress has a problem with everything," said Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar on the debate over the word 'India'.
Opposition critises G20 invite
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal asked a "flustered" BJP whether it would change the name
of Bharat if the opposition alliance INDIA rechristened itself Bharat amid a scandal over G20 dinner invitation. "There is no official information about it but I have heard rumours. Why is this happening? Some parties have come together to form the INDIA bloc. If INDIA alliance changes its name to Bharat, will they rename Bharat?" Kejriwal asked at a press conference.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee questioned the need to "suddenly use only Bharat" while referring to India in official communique. Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar said no one has the right to change the country's name. He stated that the subject will be discussed at a meeting with the leaders of the parties that make up the INDIA coalition that will be called by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.