NEW DELHI: Congress on Tuesday slammed the Centre over G20 dinner invites sent in the name of President of Bharat instead of President of India as usual.
"So the news is indeed true. Rashtrapati Bhawan has sent out an invite for a G20 dinner on September 9 in the name of 'President of Bharat' instead of the usual 'President of India'," Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
"Now, Article 1 in the Constitution can read: 'Bharat, that was India, shall be a Union of States'. But now even this 'Union of States' is under assault," his X post read.
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said while there is no constitutional objection to calling India 'Bharat', he hopes the government will not be so foolish to completely dispense with 'India' which has incalculable brand value.
Reacting sharply to the grand old party's 'Union of states under assault' remark, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president JP Nadda said, "Why does the Congress have objection to every subject related to the honor and pride of the country?"
"Why do those who do political tours in the name of Bharat Jodo and hate the slogan of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai'?," Nadda wrote on X.
Union minister of state for electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar too criticised the Congress over their objection to the use of 'Bharat' in the G20 invites. "They have a problem with everything. I am a 'Bharatwaasi', the name of my country was 'Bharat' and will remain 'Bharat' always. If Congress has a problem with this, they should find a cure for it themselves," he said.
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma took to his official X account to hail the 'Republic of Bharat'.
The G20 summit will be held over two days in New Delhi, on September 9 and 10. The two-day summit will draw leaders and delegates from 40 countries, including the 20 member states.
According to reports, the Narendra Modi-led Central government, which has been emphasising liberating the people of the country from the 'slavery mentality' during the ongoing 'Amrit Kaal', is reportedly planning to officially change the name of 'India' to Bharat.
At the upcoming special session of Parliament, scheduled to be held from September 18-22, the government is likely to present Bills related to the 'India' word omission proposal.
- With agency inputs
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