Modi’s Bharat vs Team I.N.D.I.A.

New Delhi: A G20 dinner invitation from President Droupadi Murmu describing her position as 'President of Bharat' triggered a massive debate on Tuesday.

The word ‘'President of Bharat' inscribed on the invite turned into a major controversy between the NDA government and the Opposition. While the Congress and members of I.N.D.I.A bloc took to social media handles objecting to the usage of the word Bharat instead of India, the BJP slammed it as team I.N.D.I.A’s allergy towards the word Bharat. BJP president J P Nadda said the Congress should explain whether it is Congress first or country first and if they are opposed the word Bharat, why did Rahul Gandhi name his yatra as Bharat Jodo Yatra? Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan said Article 1 of the Constitution reads: "India, that is Bharat, and hence the objections have no meaning.

But Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said it was assault on the concept of the Union of States. The government is planning to drop India and stay with just Bharat as country's name and that it would move a resolution in the short special session of Parliament, he said.

The West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said there was no need to make any change in the name. We say India and the 'Indian Constitution; in Hindi, we say 'Bharat ka Samvidhan'. We all say 'Bharat', what is new in this? Nothing new needs to be done, she said.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Tuesday alleged that the BJP wants to change 'India' into 'Bharat', and said the saffron party was rattled by the term 'INDIA', the name of the Opposition bloc.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday asked a "flustered" BJP whether it would change the name of Bharat if the Opposition alliance INDIA rechristened itself 'Bharat'. The BJP seems to be rattled by team I.N.D.I.A, he said. Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president, Sharad Pawar on Tuesday said no one has the right to change the country's name. "I don't understand why the ruling party is perturbed over a name related to the country,” the NCP chief said. Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday 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.