Opposition leaders slam Centre over G20 dinner invite from 'President of Bharat' instead of India

Opposition on Tuesday attacked the Centre over the G20 dinner invite referring to President Droupadi Murmu as the "President of Bharat" instead of India, alleging that the government is scared of the I.N.D.I.A bloc, and expressed hope that the government will not be "so foolish as to completely dispense with India, which has incalculable brand value built up over centuries". 

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wondered what has happened suddenly that the name of the country needs to be changed. "History is being rewritten in the country," she alleged.

"In English, we say India and the 'Indian Constitution; in Hindi, we say 'Bharat ka Samvidhan'. We all say 'Bharat', what is new in this? There's nothing new to be done. The world knows us as India. What happened suddenly that the name of the country needs to be changed?" she said in Kolkata.

Senior Congress MP and CWC member Shashi Tharoor said there is no Constitutional objection to calling India 'Bharat', which is one of the country’s two official names.

At the same time, he expressed hope that the government "will not be so foolish as to completely dispense with “India”, which has incalculable brand value built up over centuries.  “We should continue to use both words rather than relinquish our claim to a name redolent of history, a name that is recognised around the world,” he said. 

Senior RJD MP Manoj K Jha said he never thought that the government and the BJP would be troubled by their coalition I.N.D.I.A, which was only formed a few weeks ago. 

“Article 1 of the Constitution clearly states that India, that is Bharat, is a union of states. They should read our tagline ‘Judega Bharat, Jeetega India’. At least remember B R Ambedkar. You garland him but he is not there inside your heart. You won’t be able to take India and Bharat from our hearts,” he said.

PDP chief Mehbooba said the BJP's aversion to India’s foundational principle of unity in diversity has touched a "new low". 

"By reducing India’s many names from Hindustan and India to now only Bharat shows its pettiness & intolerance. For the first time in India’s post-independence history, a party with a brute majority is treating the entire country as its fiefdom," she added.

JMM spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya said, "a new terminology has been coined in the form of 'President of Bharat' on Teachers' Day. Will they also change the names of India Gate and Gateway of India? The ruling BJP is scared of the opposition bloc I.N.D.I.A. They are scared as scams are coming out in the open. I have been saying that the NDA is the National Disaster Alliance which will change the face of the nation and Constitution."

AAP MP Raghav Chadha said the government move has raised eyebrows and ignited a public debate. “How can the BJP strike down 'INDIA'? The country doesn't belong to a political party; it belongs to 135 crore Indians. Our national identity is not the BJP's personal property that it can modify on whims and fancies. Judega Bharat, Jeetega INDIA,” he posted on ‘X’.