NEW DELHI: Amidst the buzz surrounding an invitation for a G20 summit dinner that boldly bore the inscription 'President of Bharat,' the political battleground has ignited with fervent debate between the government and opposition parties. Meanwhile, the common folks have taken to social media to voice their befuddlement.
Earlier today, the invitation for the upcoming September 9th dinner featured President Droupadi Murmu as the 'President of Bharat,' and it swiftly spread like wildfire across social media platforms. Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan was the one who ignited the firestorm by sharing an image of the invite on the digital realm formerly known as Twitter. He accompanied it with the hashtag '#PresidentOfBharat' and the patriotic phrase, 'Jana Gana Mana Adhinayak Jaya He, Bharat Bhagya Vidhata.'
Following this tweet, opposition leaders promptly raised questions about the government's intentions and alleged that the cherished 'Union of States' was under siege. Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh took to his microblogging pulpit, citing Article 1 of the Constitution, and accused the government of undermining the essence of a unified nation. He remarked, "So, the news holds true. Rashtrapati Bhawan has dispatched an invite for a G20 dinner on September 9th, bearing the name 'President of Bharat,' instead of the customary 'President of India.' Now, Article 1 of the Constitution could read: 'Bharat, that was India, shall be a Union of States. But now, even this 'Union of States' is under assault.'"
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, seemingly bemused by the development, prodded the flustered BJP with a rhetorical query. He pondered whether the ruling party would consider renaming 'Bharat' if the opposition alliance, INDIA, decided to rechristen itself as 'Bharat.' Kejriwal asserted, "I have no official information on this. I have heard rumors. Why is this happening? It is being said that this is being done because we have formed an alliance named INDIA… The country belongs to 140 crore people and not to one party. If INDIA alliance rechristens itself Bharat, will they change the name of Bharat also?" He added, "What a joke is this! This is our country. We have an ancient culture."
In the midst of the fray, Tamil Nadu CM and DMK chief MK Stalin took a swipe at the BJP, remarking that while the BJP promised to "TRANSFORM India," all the nation got after nine years was a change in nomenclature. He quipped, "After Non-BJP forces united to dethrone the fascist BJP regime and aptly named their alliance #INDIA, now the BJP wants to change 'India' for 'Bharat.' BJP promised to TRANSFORM India, but all we got is a name change after 9 years! Seems like the BJP is rattled by a single term called India because they recognize the strength of unity within the opposition. During the elections, 'India' will chase BJP out of power!"
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, in her characteristic style, questioned the sudden fixation on the exclusive use of 'Bharat' when referring to India in official communications. She remarked, "I heard that India's name is being changed. The G20 invite that went out in the name of the honorable president has 'Bharat' written on it. 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?" She questioned, "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?"
Supriya Shrinate, Chairperson of Social Media and Digital Platforms for the Congress, delved into the constitutional nuances, asserting, "Article 1 of the Constitution says that we will be known both by India and the name Bharat. The reality is that the PM is absolutely scared & frightened of INDIA, which is why in his bid to counter us, he is willing to change the name of our country. Who changes the name of their motherland? And that is what the PM is trying to do. You may hate us (INDIA alliance), think of us as your political enemies and political opponents, why wage a war against India?...The issues that plague India also plague Bharat..."
DMK MP Kanimozhi weighed in on the 'President of Bharat' on the G20 summit dinner invitation, expressing her bewilderment. She stated, "We've never seen invitations going out in the name of 'President of Bharat,' it has always been 'President of India' or 'Prime Minister of India.' Why have they done this now? What is the intention behind it? What is the politics behind it? It has been in the Constitution all these years but nobody used it. Recently, the RSS chief said that the name of India has to be changed. Reading this after that brings up a lot of questions. Is RSS setting the agenda for the entire nation?...We don't know why the special session of Parliament has been called? We don't know what the agenda is...."
Meanwhile, Union MoS Meenakshi Lekhi offered a historical perspective, asserting, "...This name is given by our ancestors...In 'Vishnupuran,' it is written that the land in the North of the 'Samudra' and the south of the 'Himalayas' has a name 'Bharat'..."
In a surprising twist, Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan joined the discourse on September 5th, sharing his patriotic sentiments on the platform formerly known as Twitter, by exclaiming, “Bharat Mata Ki Jai (victory to Mother India)."
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma voiced his pride in the 'Republic of Bharat,' affirming, "REPUBLIC OF BHARAT - happy and proud that our civilization is marching ahead boldly towards AMRIT KAAL."
The nation, divided by nomenclature but united in spirit, watches as this curious saga unfolds.
The end of this controversy remains uncertain, as the nation continues to grapple with the question of identity and nomenclature, leaving the future course of this debate hanging in the balance.
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