India: Speculation Mounts About Potential Name Change to 'Bharat'

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Facts

  • Invitations for guests at the G20 summit dinner refer to Indian Pres. Droupadi Murmu as the 'President of Bharat,' while a senior spokesman for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) called Prime Minister Narendra Modi the 'prime minister of Bharat' in a recent tweet.1
  • Bharat is an ancient Sanskrit word that has referred to India for more than 2k years. The country is referred to as Bharat in Hindi, while it is called India in English — the names are used interchangeably along with Hindustan, which means 'land of the Hindus' in Urdu.2
  • While hosting the Summit, Modi sat behind a nameplate labeled 'Bharat;' in the past, such cards would say 'India' when addressing an international crowd in English. However, the G20 logo featured both Bharat and 'India.'3
  • Rahul Gandhi, India’s main opposition leader, called a potential name change 'absurd' when asked about the name change. In Europe for a five-day trip, Gandhi told reporters that the BJP’s plan to change India’s name is a 'diversion tactic' away from Modi’s dealings with business leader Gautum Adani.4
  • At an event in France, Gandhi said both names are 'perfectly acceptable' and used throughout India’s constitution. Meanwhile, Modi called the group 'INDIA' — the opposition bloc standing for the Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance — arrogant and accused Gandhi’s Congress Party of scheming against the poor.5
  • It has been suggested that the name change reflects the BJP’s Hindu nationalist sentiment of removing colonial names in the country. Various towns, regions, and streets have been renamed as part of Modi’s efforts to reclaim India’s Hindu past.6

Sources: 1Euronews, 2New York Post, 3Reuters, 4Al Jazeera, 5Ndtv.com and 6Associated Press.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by The economic times. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is trying to divert attention away from his business dealings by pushing an absurdist name change. The BJP has failed India by using its power to silence opposing parties and politicians, and with the public catching on, Modi is in search of a new angle. The fact is that both India and Bharat are used interchangeably in the Indian constitution, and there is nothing anti-Hindu about the name 'India.' Modi’s tactics are pure diversion.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Opindia. While opposition leaders seem to be outraged about India being referred to as Bharat at the G20 summit, the fact is that many of Modi’s most vocal critics have themselves expressed a desire to change India’s name. There are many documents from opposition leaders saying that they would change India’s name to Bharat and want to reclaim India’s Hindu origins. However, they are so fixated on opposing Modi that they will scream about anything he does. Why not make this change now?