Will Govt bring bill to change the name India into Bharat?

Hyderabad: With special session of Parliament set to begin on September 18, there is speculation that a constitutional amendment bill may be introduced to effect rename India as Bharat. Efforts to make India into Hindutva rashtra is in the making. Though the agenda is not yet released for the special session such a bill cannot be ruled out says Congress party and its conglomeration of 28 parties known as I.N.D.I.A

The Congress party leader Jairam Ramesh quoting the invitation card issued by Rashtrapati Bhavan which read Bharat President invites…. for dinner instead of President of India. They allege, “So the news is indeed true this is an indication that Hindutva Rashtra is in the making, he said in X.

However, what has come as surprise is that even the senior leaders are blinking at what the Constitution of India says.

Article 1 of the Indian Constitution reads: "India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States." Of course the fresh war of words on will continue for narrow political purposes. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was quick in going one step further and proclaimed India as "Republic of Bharat".

"Republic of Bharat- happy and proud that our civilisation is marching ahead boldly towards Amrit Kaal," Himanta Biswa Sarma said in a post on X that came minutes after the Congress leader's.

Opposition says that ahead of the special session of Parliament slated for September 18-13, there have been growing calls to amend this to simply "Bharat". This movement is driven by a desire to shed remnants of colonial rule and embrace the nation's indigenous heritage.

In the monsoon session of Parliament, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Naresh Bansal demanded the removal of 'India' from the Constitution, arguing that it symbolizes colonial slavery. His sentiment was echoed by fellow BJP MP Harnath Singh Yadav, who called for a constitutional amendment to replace "India" with "Bharat".

"The entire country is demanding that we should use the word 'Bharat' instead of 'India'...The word 'India' is an abuse given to us by the British whereas the word 'Bharat' is a symbol of our culture...I want there should be a change in our Constitution and the word 'Bharat' should be added to it," Harnath Singh Yadav said.

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat had also in the past emphasizing that country has been known as Bharat for centuries. RSS even recalls that our national anthem also says “Bharat Bhagya Vidhata”…..