New Delhi: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said on Tuesday that the government of India has given another blow to the slavery mentality by replacing 'India' with 'Bharat' on the invitation card for the dinner to be held at Rashtrapati Bhavan during the G20 Summit.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Dhami posted a picture of the G20 summit invitation and wrote, "Another blow to the slavery mentality. It is a proud moment for every countryman to have 'The President of Bharat' written on the invitation card for the dinner to be held at Rashtrapati Bhavan during the G20 Summit. Long live Mother Bharat!"
Notably, this is the first time that the government of India has used the term 'Bharat' instead of the usual term 'India' on an official invitation. The move, however, has created a divide among the BJP and Opposition bloc, as several leaders from the INDIA alliance claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Central government is trying to create a divide by referring to India as Bharat.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh accused PM Modi of "distorting history and dividing India" and said the "Objective of parties in the INDIA bloc is also Bharat—Bring Harmony, Amity, and Reconciliation.
On X, Jairam Ramesh said, "So the news is indeed true. Rashtrapati Bhawan has sent out an invitation for a G20 dinner on September 9 in the name of 'President of Bharat' instead of the usual 'President of India.' 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," Ramesh said.
"Mr Modi can continue to distort history and divide India; that is Bharat; that is a Union of States. But we will not be deterred. After all, what is the objective of Indian parties? It is BHARAT—Bring Harmony, Amity, Reconciliation, and Trust. Judega BHARAT. Jeetega India!" he wrote. Aam Adami Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh said on Tuesday that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) wants to change the Constitution of the country by 'removing' the word 'India and replacing it with Bharat. "Modi ji hates Babasaheb and wants to change the first article of the constitution written by him, 'India That Is Bharat'," he wrote on Twitter.
Meanwhile, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma hailed the "Republic of Bharat". "REPUBLIC OF BHARAT: happy and proud that our civilization is marching ahead boldly towards AMRIT KAAL," he wrote.
The Group of Twenty (G20) Summit is scheduled to be held on September 9 and 10. India held the presidency of the G20 from December 1, 2022, in Indonesia and will continue to work as the G20 president until November 2023. —ANI
