Amidst the ongoing controversy over the alleged proposal to rename India as ‘Bharat,’ Congress Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor has revisited a 2015 incident in which the Central government opposed such a change. The Opposition has been asserting that the government plans to officially adopt ‘Bharat’ as the country’s name, dropping ‘India.’
In response to a public interest litigation (PIL) advocating for the official use of ‘Bharat’ alongside ‘India,’ the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had informed the Supreme Court in 2015 that there was no need for such a change. The Centre’s response stated, “There is no change in circumstances to consider any changes in Article 1 of the Constitution of India.”
Article 1.1 of the Indian Constitution recognizes both ‘Bharat’ and ‘India’ as two official names for the country, stating, “India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States.”
Sharing a news article on this 2015 incident, Shashi Tharoor commented, “No comment. Happy to agree with the Government on this!”
The recent controversy also emerged when invitations for a G20 dinner described the President’s position as ‘President of Bharat’ instead of the customary ‘President of India,’ prompting allegations from the Opposition that the government intends to abandon ‘India’ in favor of ‘Bharat’ as the country’s name.
In response, the ruling NDA alliances accused the Opposition of opposing the name ‘Bharat.’
Shashi Tharoor emphasized that there is no constitutional objection to using ‘Bharat’ alongside ‘India.’ However, he expressed the hope that the government would not be “foolish” enough to entirely replace ‘India,’ which has “incalculable brand value.” He suggested that both names should continue to be used, as ‘India’ is a name recognized globally and steeped in history.
Tharoor also highlighted the historical context, noting that Pakistan’s founder, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, had objected to the name ‘India’ because it implied that the country was the successor state to the British Raj, with Pakistan being a seceding state. Tharoor concluded, “As with CAA, the BJP govt keeps supporting Jinnah’s view!”
The debate over India’s name change to ‘Bharat’ remains contentious, with various viewpoints emphasizing historical significance, constitutional aspects, and political implications.
