Himadri Kalita
India, Bharat, and Hindustan- The nation had been using these terms synonymously to refer to our country since 1947 when we attained independence from the Britishers. Although it is three different terms, it invokes a feeling of nationalism and patriotism when we use any of these while saying ‘Long Live India,’ ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai,’ or while singing one of the famous patriotic song sung by Lata Mangeshkar ‘Sare Jahan Se Acha, Hindustan Hamara.’
Until now, we were not bothered with what name should we refer to our country as both India and Bharat are official names as per Article 1(1) of the ‘Constitution of India’ which states, “India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States.”
However, recently, a debate has started in the country days after the opposition alliance named their bloc as I.N.D.I.A. (Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance) making the first crucial move on the political chess board against the ruling government i.e., N.D.A. (National Democratic Alliance).
During the past few days, the opposition alliance was gaining popularity and momentum with their bloc name that might have eventually got under the skin of the ruling party triggering them to make an aggressive move by trying to bring more focus on the name ‘Bharat’ which was evident in the invitations for G20 dinner sent in the name of ‘President of Bharat’ instead of ‘President of India.’
Following this, there has been a buzz in the media platforms that in the special parliamentary session slated to be held later this month, the central government will bring a fresh resolution to rename the name of the country from India to Bharat. But later, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar cleared the air around the G20 dinner invitation during a podcast with ANI stating, “India, that is Bharat. It is there in the constitution and I would like to invite everyone to read the constitution of India.” This means that no fresh resolution will be bought in the special session as Bharat is already the official name as stated in the constitution.
Even so, the moment when they replaced the name ‘India’ with ‘Bharat’ on official invitations, it has reflected that they had been triggered by the opposition indicating fear about losing the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections in 2024.
The point that the opposition bloc’s name has got under the skin of the Narendra Modi-led government became apparent because earlier when a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed in the Supreme Court in 2015 to rename the name of the country, the Ministry of Home Affairs told the apex court, “There is no need in circumstances to consider any change in Article 1 of the Constitution of India.”
If the ruling party itself stated that there was no need to be called Bharat instead of India then how come they are now trying to impose Bharat on the countrymen when it already is used synonymously?
Even in movies, foreigners often while speaking in Hindi dialect with the Indians refer to our country as ‘Bharat’ and not ‘India’ because it is interchangeable. Moreover, in regional languages, we use the term Bharat instead of India then what was the need to create a buzz over the name?
Amid these, one thing was pointed out by the Indian author and senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor that the centre might put an end to the debate if the opposition bloc renames their alliance as BHARAT (Betterment, Harmony And Responsible Advancement for Tomorrow).
Now the question arises if the opposition alliance names their bloc as BHARAT, will the ruling government still attempt to bring this term more on focus, or shall put an end to the ongoing debate?
Moreover, should the name of the country be brought in the political platform by trying to divide our motherland into two segments?
