GUWAHATI: The forthcoming Special Session of Parliament, scheduled from September 18-22, is expected to deliberate on a resolution to officially name India as “Bharat”.
While there is no official confirmation of this proposed amendment, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s cryptic post on a popular micro-blogging website on Tuesday has added fuel to the speculation making rounds within political circles.
Sarma’s post, which celebrated the “Republic of Bharat”, was met with curiosity and interpretation by many opposition leaders, suggesting that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) may bring a resolution to officially refer to India as “Bharat” during the upcoming special parliamentary session.
In his post, Chief Minister Sarma wrote, “REPUBLIC OF BHARAT – happy and proud that our civilization is marching ahead boldly towards AMRIT KAAL.”
Reacting to the speculation, Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi acknowledged that the Grand Old Party embraces both the names “India” and “Bharat”. However, he also used the opportunity to slam the BJP government, implying that their proposed resolution stems from concerns over the Opposition’s “INDIA” bloc.
“We accept both ‘India’ and ‘Bharat’ names and feel proud of them. The ‘I’ in ISRO stands for India, the ‘I’ in IITs represents India, the ‘I’ in IIMs signifies India, and the ‘I’ in IPS denotes India. The BJP’s politics has stooped so low because they are afraid of the INDIA (opposition) alliance,” Gogoi was quoted as saying by a national news agency.
This potential amendment has sparked discussions across the political spectrum, with proponents arguing that such a change could have historical and cultural significance. Critics, however, contend that the proposed resolution distracts from more pressing issues and may be politically motivated.
This development unfolded after the release of G20 Summit 2023 invitations from President Draupadi Murmu’s office, where the reference was made as “The President of Bharat” rather than “President of India”, became public on Tuesday.
