India To Bharat? Dinner Invite Sparks Name Change Rumour

President’s G20 invite cites her as President of Bharat instead of President of India

New Delhi: An invitation for a G20 dinner sent out by President Droupadi Murmu in her capacity as “President of Bharat" instead of “President of India" triggered a controversy on Tuesday and set off furious speculation that such a move could be part of the legislative agenda in the upcoming special session of Parliament.

The Opposition said the decision violated the Constitution and sought to link it to the decision to name the 28-party opposition grouping INDIA, but some senior government ministers said it was meant to snap ties with a colonial past.

The invite for the 9 September dinner at 8pm, to be hosted by Murmu in Bharat Mandapam, will come in the middle of the G20 leaders summit in New Delhi.

“This should have happened earlier. This gives great satisfaction to the mind. Bharat is our introduction. We are proud of it. The President has given priority to Bharat. This is the biggest statement to come out of the colonial mindset," said education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who was among the first leaders to share the invite sent out by the external affairs ministry on behalf of Rashtrapati Bhavan.

But the Opposition was unimpressed, pointing out that Article 1 of the Constitution said, “India, that is Bharat, shall be a union of states" adding that the decision was a knee jerk move to undercut the Opposition INDIA bloc.

Though there was no official confirmation, some speculated that changing the name of the country to Bharat could well be the reason for a special five-day session of Parliament to be called beginning 18 September, the 74th anniversary of the day when the Constituent Assembly adopted Article 1.

Experts also pointed out that Article 52 of the Constitution says, “There shall be a President of India," with no mention of Bharat.