The Congress has accused the BJP authorities of “distorting historical past and dividing India”.
New Delhi:
Using ‘President of Bharat’ rather than the standard ‘President of India’ in an official invite to international leaders attending the G20 summit has sparked a flurry of political reactions. Whereas opposition leaders have slammed the transfer and linked it to their 28-party alliance naming itself INDIA, the BJP has questioned why some events “object to each difficulty associated to the honour and delight of the nation”.
One of many sharpest reactions to the wording used within the invite got here from AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal who requested whether or not the ruling celebration would change the nation’s identify to ‘BJP’ if the opposition alliance determined to name itself ‘Bharat’.
Addressing a press convention on Tuesday, the Delhi chief minister mentioned in Hindi, “I’ve no official data that this (a reputation change) is occurring. Simply because many opposition events have shaped an alliance and referred to as it INDIA, will the Centre change the identify of the nation? The nation belongs to 140 crore individuals, to not one celebration. If the identify of the alliance is modified to Bharat, will they modify the identify of Bharat to BJP?”
Mr Kejriwal’s celebration colleague and Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha additionally hit out on the BJP and mentioned that the nation doesn’t belong to at least one political celebration.
“The BJP’s current transfer to alter the reference from ‘President of India’ to ‘President of Bharat’ on official G20 summit invites has raised eyebrows and ignited a public debate. How can the BJP strike down ‘INDIA’? The nation would not belong to a political celebration; it belongs to 135 crore Indians. Our nationwide identification will not be the BJP’s private property that it will probably modify on whims and fancies.Judega Bharat. Jeetega INDIA,” Mr Chadha posted on X, previously Twitter.
The BJP’s current transfer to alter the reference from ‘President of India’ to ‘President of Bharat’ on official G20 summit invites has raised eyebrows and ignited a public debate. How can the BJP strike down ‘INDIA’? The nation would not belong to a political celebration; it belongs to… pic.twitter.com/riYNdQBkYa
— Raghav Chadha (@raghav_chadha) September 5, 2023
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee mentioned the entire world is aware of the nation as India and puzzled whether or not the identify of Rabindranath Tagore could be modified subsequent.
“I’ve heard that they’re altering the identify of India. The invitations within the identify of the President say Bharat. What’s new on this? We are saying India in English and Bharat in Hindi. Even we are saying Bharat. However the world is aware of the nation as India. What occurred all of the sudden that the nation’s identify might be modified? Will the identify of kabi thakur (Rabindranath Tagore) even be modified,” she requested.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam President MK Stalin mentioned the BJP promised to remodel India, however all that the nation bought was a reputation change after 9 years.
After Non-BJP forces united to dethrone the fascist BJP regime and aptly named their alliance #INDIA, now the BJP needs to alter ‘India’ for ‘Bharat.’
BJP promised to TRANSFORM India, however all we bought is a reputation change after 9 years!
Looks as if the BJP is rattled by a single time period…
— M.Okay.Stalin (@mkstalin) September 5, 2023
“After Non-BJP forces united to dethrone the fascist BJP regime and aptly named their alliance #INDIA, now the BJP needs to alter ‘India’ for ‘Bharat.’ BJP promised to TRANSFORM India, however all we bought is a reputation change after 9 years! Looks as if the BJP is rattled by a single time period referred to as India as a result of they recognise the energy of unity throughout the opposition. Through the elections, ‘India’ will chase BJP out of energy,” the DMK chief posted on X.
Addressing a press convention in Maharashtra’s Jalgaon district, Nationalist Congress Occasion chief Sharad Pawar mentioned nobody has the appropriate to alter the nation’s identify.
“I do not perceive why the ruling celebration is perturbed over a reputation associated to the nation,” the NCP chief mentioned, including that Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has referred to as a gathering of INDIA alliance celebration heads on Wednesday.
“There might be deliberation on this within the assembly, however nobody has the appropriate to alter the identify (of the nation). Nobody can change the identify,” information company PTI quoted Mr Pawar as saying.
Claiming that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is frightened of the INDIA alliance, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and RJD chief Tejashwi Yadav mentioned that India is in all places, from the nation’s Structure to its passport.
“PM Modi is frightened of the INDIA alliance. We’ve the President of India, Prime Minister of India. The identify is on the passport and Aadhaar playing cards. The Structure says ‘We, the individuals of India’ and ‘Bharat’ in Hindi. If he has an issue with the INDIA identify, he ought to have an issue with Bharat as effectively. As a result of our slogan is ‘Judega Bharat, Jeetega INDIA,” Mr Yadav mentioned.
“Until just a few days in the past, they stored saying ‘Vote for India’. Now they wish to cover the India identify and write Bharat. However there isn’t a distinction between India and Bharat. One is in English and one is in Hindi. So these choices are being taken as a result of they’re nervous. What number of locations will you take away the identify from? How a lot will you spend? Getting the identify modified could price as a lot as a state’s price range. What is going to occur to Make in India and Ability India,” he requested.
The transfer additionally invited scathing criticism from the Congress, which accused the Narendra Modi authorities of “distorting historical past and dividing India”.
In a put up on X, Congress Basic Secretary and former Union Minister Jairam Ramesh mentioned, “So the information is certainly true. Rashtrapati Bhawan has despatched out an invitation for a G20 dinner on Sept ninth within the identify of ‘President of Bharat’ as an alternative of the standard ‘President of India’. Now, Article 1 within the Structure can learn: ‘Bharat, that was India, shall be a Union of States.’ However now even this “Union of States” is below assault.”
Mr. Modi can proceed to distort historical past and divide India, that’s Bharat, that may be a Union of States. However we won’t be deterred.
In spite of everything, what’s the goal of INDIA events?
It’s BHARAT—Convey Concord, Amity, Reconciliation And Belief.
Judega BHARAT
Jeetega INDIA! https://t.co/L0gsXUEEEK— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) September 5, 2023
He added, “Mr. Modi can proceed to distort historical past and divide India, that’s Bharat, that may be a Union of States. However we won’t be deterred. In spite of everything, what’s the goal of INDIA events? It’s BHARAT-Convey Concord, Amity, Reconciliation And Belief. Judega BHARAT. Jeetega INDIA!”
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor mentioned he hoped the federal government wouldn’t be “silly” sufficient to dispense with the identify ‘India’, which has a model worth constructed over centuries
“Whereas there isn’t a constitutional objection to calling India ‘Bharat’, which is likely one of the nation’s two official names, I hope the federal government won’t be so silly as to utterly dispense with “India”, which has incalculable model worth constructed up over centuries. We should always proceed to make use of each phrases fairly than relinquish our declare to a reputation redolent of historical past, a reputation that’s recognised world wide,” he mentioned on X.
BJP leaders and ministers, nonetheless, welcomed the usage of the phrase Bharat and accused the Congress of being anti-national and anti-constitutional.
One of many first reactions was from Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who mentioned the wording of the invite made him proud. “REPUBLIC OF BHARAT – pleased and proud that our civilisation is marching forward boldly in direction of AMRIT KAAL,” Mr Sarma mentioned on X.
REPUBLIC OF BHARAT – pleased and proud that our civilisation is marching forward boldly in direction of AMRIT KAAL
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) September 5, 2023
In a stinging response to the assertion by Congress leaders, BJP President JP Nadda mentioned the opposition celebration has no respect for the nation or the Structure.
कांग्रेस को देश के सम्मान एवं गौरव से जुड़े हर विषय से इतनी आपत्ति क्यों है?
भारत जोड़ो के नाम पर राजनीतिक यात्रा करने वालों को “भारत माता की जय” के उद्घोष से नफरत क्यों है?
स्पष्ट है कि कांग्रेस के मन में न देश के प्रति सम्मान है, न देश के संविधान के प्रति और न ही संवैधानिक…
— Jagat Prakash Nadda (@JPNadda) September 5, 2023
“Why does the Congress object a lot to each difficulty associated to the honour and delight of the nation? Why does a celebration that took out a political yatra within the identify of Bharat Jodo hate the proclamation of Bharat Mata Ki Jai? It’s clear that the Congress has no respect for the nation, Structure, or constitutional establishments. All it cares about is the reward of 1 explicit household. The entire nation is aware of the anti-national and anti-constitutional intentions of the Congress very effectively,” the BJP chief mentioned in Hindi.
Chatting with information company ANI, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan mentioned the choice to make use of ‘Bharat’ is a giant assertion in opposition to the colonial mindset.
“This could have occurred earlier. It offers me nice satisfaction. ‘Bharat’ is our introduction and we’re happy with it. The President has given precedence to ‘Bharat’. I’m sure the nation might be very pleased on studying of this. This can be a massive assertion in opposition to the colonial mindset,” he mentioned.
A one-line put up by megastar Amitabh Bachchan was additionally linked by social media customers to the political row over the G20 invite.
T 4759 – 🇮🇳 भारत माता की जय 🚩
— Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) September 5, 2023
“Bharat Mata Ki Jai (victory to Mom India),” the actor posted on X.
