Indian President Droupadi Murmu’s reference to herself as the “President of Bharat” in a dinner invitation, instead of “President of India”, sparked controversy on Tuesday, with critics saying the name of the country is being distorted.
Ms Murmu is hosting a reception for G20 leaders during the group’s summit on Saturday and invitations were sent from her office.
India is also called Bharat, Bharata, Hindustan – its pre-colonial names – in Indian languages and these are used interchangeably by the public and officially.
High offices in the country have typically stuck to titles such as President of India, Prime Minister of India and Chief Justice of India when communicating in English.
In its constitution, the world’s most populous country is known as India and Bharat. Hindustan (“land of the Hindus” in Urdu) is another word for the country. The three names are used interchangeably officially and by the public.
However, around the world, India is the most commonly used name.
Over the years, though, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government has been changing colonial names to “help India move past a mentality of slavery”.
Supporters of the name change in the invitation said British colonial rulers had coined the name India to overshadow Bharat and forge a British legacy.
“Our country’s name is Bharat and there should be no doubt about it,” said Mr Rajeev Chandrasekhar, a federal deputy minister.
Hindu groups linked to the BJP said the G20 summit provided the best opportunity to shed India’s colonial baggage.
On Tuesday, a senior BJP spokesman posted on X that Mr Modi was attending a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Indonesia as the “prime minister of Bharat”.
Opposition leaders were, however, critical of the change, with some saying it aimed to eclipse their two-month-old political alliance, which is also called INDIA.
“We all say ‘Bharat’, what is new in this? But the name ‘India’ is known to the world. What happened that the government had to change the name of the country?” asked top opposition leader Mamata Banerjee.
Shashi Tharoor of the opposition Congress party posted on X: “I hope the government will not be so foolish as to completely dispense with India, which has incalculable brand value built up over centuries.”
The change to “President of Bharat” comes less than two months after opposition parties formed the INDIA alliance to challenge BJP in national elections next year.
INDIA, they said, stands for Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance.
Political analysts said it was a clever coinage to take on the BJP’s nationalist platform.
The Indian president is a non-party executivehead of state with only ceremonial powers. She or he is traditionally backed and elected by the party in power.
An official at the President’s office said it didn’t want to comment on the issue.
The Indian government has called a special parliamentary session on Sept 18-22 but has not announced any agenda, leading to speculation that it will be used to rename the country.
Reuters
