By T N Ashok / Washington
US and the overseas media has begun speculation that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi , under pressure from its hindu nationalist outfit RSS and members of his own party BJP, is contemplating a name change from India to Bharat , the Hindu name that existed before the colonial British rule, and announe to the world on the international platform of the high profile G20 meet being attended by world leaders such as US President Joe Biden, UK PM Rishi Sunak, German Chancellor Schultz, French premier Emanuel Macaron , Japanese PM Fumio Kishida and Australian Premier Anthony Albanese to give it the international legitimacy it needs .
The US and overseas media has fanned speculation as to whether the Indian PM Narendra Modi has called the special session of Parliament to vote on the name change , which under the 1st clause of the constitution gi ves both names. A President or the Prime Minister takes the oath of allegiance to the country as ; India , that is, Bharat….. . The name change has been in the works ever since the the BJP backed by its prominent HIndu Nationalist wing, the Rashgtriya Swayam Sevak (RSS), which was once by by the Congress Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, and other outfits and BJP MPs for shredding the colonial image in the name India, given by the British and revert to Bharat. Opposition parties have questioned the legitimacy of the name change, report said.
The Indian media has however speculated that the special session is to pass the all important legislation on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) that would treat both Indian Hindus and Indian Muslims on par under one common Indian law. The greatest beneficiary would be muslim women , who under the shariat law, could be divorced by the husband by just saying three words ” talaq talaq ,talaq” (divorce). Also, Indian urucrats are working double time to rewrite the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Criminal Procedure Ciode (CRPC) , both considered antiquiated as they were framed during the British rule, and give a new representation to the laws under prevailing law and order situation.
The Indian President Ms, Droupadi Murmu’s invite to the world leaders for an official banquet issued in the name of Bharat and not India has not only created a stir in Indian media but also fuelled speculation overseas if Prime Minister Narendr Modi plans to change the name to Bharat in accordance with the early hindu tradition of it being Bharat which was anglicised by the British to India, media reports said.
A section of the US media said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration has not confirmed replacing ‘India’ with ‘Bharat’ – but has also not explained changes in G20 invites, reports said.
A new Indian Government document calling India’s PM Narendra Modi the “prime minister of Bharat” has added to swirling rumours that the country could get a name change”, the Independent said in its US edition.
On Wednesday, US newspapers were full of photos of the document on Mr Modi’s current visit to Indonesia, just two days before India plays host to scores of foreign leaders in its capital New Delhi for the high-profile G20 summit India is hosting. Last year the G20 leadership was held by Indonesia and the summit concluded in Bali when the baton was handed over to India.
India has been hosting several ministerial meetings throughout the year with foreign and economic ministers attending them so as to prepare a blueprint for further progress of the G20 groupings continued pursuit of cherished goals to eradicate poverty, enhance education, fight global terrorism and economic development amongst the countries. .
Just a day earlier, a debate on the country’s name kicked up a political storm when an official G20 invite for foreign dignitaries with Indian president Draupadi Murmu referred to her as the “President of Bharat”, the Independent noted.Skip Ad
The invite has fanned speculation that the Indian government is considering changing the country’s name to “Bharat”, a term that has its origins in the Sanskrit language and that is used colloquially to refer to India. The 1st clause in the Indian constitution under which the Prime Minister owes allegiance to India also says, India, that is, Bharat …under which he takes the oath of office. ,
The new document designates Mr Modi as the “prime minister of Bharat” and not “prime minister of India”, which has been the format for over 75 years, which is now being celebrated as the Amrit Kal ( The period of elixir).
Photos of the document that has caused much stir within India and speculation overseas began circulating on Wednesday, ahead of Mr Modi’s diplomatic engagement for the 20th Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)-India summit and the 18th East Asia summit. The Vice President of the US Ms Kamala Harris would be attending the meet.
The social media bio on Twitter/X still says “Prime Minister of India” but some leaders and government officials have begun using the term “Bharat”.
The ID cards of India’s officials at the G20 summit will also read “Bharat – Official”, demonstrating a major international push by the Modi administration at the biggest international stage that will see the presence of Joe Biden, Rishi Sunak , Emanuel Macaron , Fumio Kishida and Anthony Albanese among several others attending, making this the G20 summit the biggest event in India after the Commonwealth summit at Bengaluru in the 80’s.
“Bharat”, the word that dates back to ancient Indian scriptures, has not been a commonly used term for India’s domestic and international correspondence ever since it gained independence from British rule in 1947, reports said.
The name change call has gained momentum with members of Mr Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claiming they want to get rid of the colonial “English” name and give a true representation of the Hindu culture and Bharat as it was called in ancient times before the alien rule of the British. .
Recent media reports have revealed that a “special session” of the Indian parliament taking place this month could be the venue for Mr Modi to announce its intention to officially rename the country.
Indian media has been speculating that the special session is to pass the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) even as Indian bureaucrats work double time to rewrite the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Criminal Procedure Code (CRPC) to reflect the aspirations of a modern India, a transition from British India to Independent India , while also taking into account the scrapping of article 370 which have special status to the state Jammu and Kashmir , part of which is occupied by the belligerent neighbour Pakistan since partition.