New Delhi:

The political row over proposal to refer to India as “Bharat” in NCERT textbooks snowballing, the man behind the proposal told NDTV today that it was only meant for students of CBSE and in classrooms. “At home they can say whatever,” retired Professor CI Issacs told NDTV in an exclusive interview.

Mr Issacs is heading the Committee for Social Sciences, which made the recommendation that has stirred up a hornet’s nest. Amid Opposition attack, NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training) has said no decision has been taken regarding the recommendations, made in response to move to revise the curriculum in line with the National Education Policy 2020.  

Along with replacing the name “India” with “Bharat” in textbooks, the panel has also suggested introducing “classical history”, instead of “ancient history” and including “Indian Knowledge System” in the syllabus.

Asked why this change is needed at this point, Professor Issacs said they were not “removing” anything.   

“Our mindset is toned by colonial education. Now it is a new education system. New chapter. Something new is needed, nothing traditional,” he said, citing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for an update in the country’s education policy.  

Calling the change “essential”, he said it has the backing of a number of academicians who were not part of the committee.

Asked if the move does not open another Pandora’s box of opposition charges about politicization of education, Mr Issacs said, “We never think about election.  None of my team are involved in politics. Five are ladies. Housewives”.

On why this had to be included in textbooks, he said it was for the teachers.  

“Of course teachers will say India,” he said, pointing out that they were also products of colonial education, like himself, who also says India. The change, he said, can be effected in the textbooks of senior classes, starting from Class 8.  

India and Bharat are names mentioned in the very first article of the Constitution. Asked why, in that case, it could not be left to individual choice, he said the rule is applicable only to CBSE students.   

The Opposition has called the proposal an effort to “indoctrinate an entire generation”.  

Rashtriya Janata Dal’s Manoj Jha has called it a “panic reaction to INDIA bloc”. “Article 1 of the Constitution says “India that is Bharat”. The people who framed it, Babasaheb Ambedkar. Nehru, Azad, Patel – they thought something?” he said. Then holding up a copy of the Constitution, he said, “Will this be the next target?”

“This is anti-people, anti-India. This is completely wrong. I appeal to government. You can’t change the history of India,” said Congress’s DK Shivakumar.  

The Bharat-India controversy had started when the government sent out G20 invites in the name of “President of Bharat” instead of “President of India”. Later, the nameplate of PM Modi during the G20 summit in New Delhi also read “Bharat”, instead of India.

New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed world leaders at the G20 Summit in Delhi today, with a greeting that hinted at the proposed name change from India to Bharat.

“Bharat welcomes you,” PM Modi said at the opening remarks of the G20 Summit.

“Bharat” has also been used in a G20 booklet meant for foreign delegates titled – “Bharat, The Mother Of Democracy”. “Bharat is the official name of the country. It is mentioned in the Constitution as also in the discussions of 1946-48,” the booklet says.

The United Nations yesterday said it “will change India’s name to Bharat in UN records” when New Delhi completes all the formalities for the same.

“When India completes the formalities to change the name, they will inform us and we will change the name at the UN (records),” United Nations Secretary General’s chief spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.

In his opening remarks, PM Modi said the Ukraine war has deepened the trust deficit globally, and appealed to the entire world to turn it into confidence in each other.

“This is a time when age-old challenges are calling for new solutions from us. And therefore, with a human-centric approach, we have to move forward to fulfil our responsibilities,” PM Modi said.

“After COVID-19, there is a big crisis of trust deficit in the world. The war has deepened this trust deficit. When we can defeat Covid we can also achieve victory over this trust deficit crisis,” he said.

New Delhi:

In a strong message amid the Bharat vs India row, the name plate in front of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he opened the G20 Summit read “Bharat”.

The decision to replace India with Bharat in President Droupadi Murmu in the invitation to world leaders has sparked a huge political row.

This has also sparked speculation that the special session of Parliament to be held later this month is aimed at formalising this push to rename India as Bharat.

“Bharat” has also been used in a G20 booklet meant for foreign delegates titled – “Bharat, The Mother Of Democracy”. “Bharat is the official name of the country. It is mentioned in the Constitution as also in the discussions of 1946-48,” the booklet says.

The Opposition has launched a scathing attack on the centre over the issue. Members of the INDIA bloc have alleged that the Narendra Modi government of “distorting history and dividing India”.

In a sharp counter attack, BJP leaders have accused the Opposition of being anti-national and anti-constitutional. They have pointed to the Article 1 of the Constitution.

Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the decision to use ‘Bharat’ is a big statement against the colonial mindset. “This should have happened earlier. It gives me great satisfaction. ‘Bharat’ is our introduction and we are proud of it.”

New Delhi:

After almost two days massive “Bharat-India” political row, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked his ministers to stay away from commenting on the issue. “Do not comment,” sources quoted him as saying at a meeting of the Council of ministers where G20 and other issues were discussed.

This is the first time PM Modi is learnt to have discussed the subject with his ministers.

Over the last 24 hours, the opposition has held two meetings to chalk out a gameplan over the issue. This morning, former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi wrote to PM Modi, suggesting a list of nine subjects that can be discussed at the special session of parliament beginning on September 18.

The government has reacted sharply, suggesting that Mrs Gandhi does not pay attention to tradition, under which the agenda need not be discussed before the session begins.

“After the calling of the session by the President and before commencement of the session, there is a meeting of the leaders of all the parties in which the people rising in the Parliament are discussed. Issues and work are discussed.” Wrote Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi.

Since Monday, when it was headlined that President Droupadi Murmu’s invite to G20 leaders describes her as the “President of Bharat”, the Opposition and the BJP had clashed. The next day, a document surfaced that saw PM Modi being described a “Prime Minister of Bharat”.

The Opposition has accused the ruling party of creating smoke screen to deflect attention from the lacunae in their governance that has triggered unemployment, poverty and price rise. The issue is also a fallout of the Opposition Front calling itself INDIA, they said.  

Amid the political sparring, a top source said today that the special session is meant to discuss the G20.

Bharat Rashtra Samithi’s MLC K Kavitha has meanwhile questioned why Sonia Gandhi’s letter to PM Modi did not list the long pending demand for the Women’s Reservation Bill. Mrs Gandhi’s nine-point letter included Centre-state relationship, communalism, Manipur situation and the border conflict with China.

New Delhi:

Former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi’s nine-point letter on the special session of parliament has drawn an acerbic response from the government. Mrs Gandhi is perhaps “not aware of traditions,” wrote parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi, asserting that the government discusses the agenda with the Opposition only after the session begins.

Mrs Gandhi had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier today, amid a political uproar over the buzz on a change of the country’s name to Bharat.

Underscoring that no agenda has been announced for the special session of parliament starting September 18, she listed nine subjects and demanded discussion on them.

The list included Centre-state relationship, communalism, Manipur situation and border conflict with China.

With hours, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister responded.

“The session has been called following tradition. Perhaps you are not paying attention to tradition. Before calling the Parliament session, there is never any discussion with political parties, nor are the issues discussed. After the calling of the session by the President and before commencement of the session, there is a meeting of the leaders of all the parties in which the people rising in the Parliament are discussed. Issues and work are discussed.” the minister wrote.

The suspense over the agenda has triggered speculation on the country’s name change. The trigger was President Droupadi Murmu’s invite to G20 leaders where she has been described as “President of Bharat”. The next day, a document surfaced that saw PM Modi being described a “Prime Minister of Bharat”.

Today a post on X went viral that said Pakistan may lay claim to the name “India”.

“Pakistan may lay claim to the name “India” if India derecongnises it officially at UN level. –local media. Nationalists in Pakistan have long argued that Pakistan has rights to the name as it refers to the Indus region in Pakistan,” read the post shared by South Asia Index’s X handle.

Top sources, however, said the G-20 summit, to be held this weekend, will be the subject of the special session.

The buzz that started after the dinner invite to G20 leaders from President Droupadi Murmu used the term ‘President of Bharat’ instead of the traditional ‘President of India’ has now extended across the borders. A post on X (formerly Twitter) has quoted Pakistani local media reports to claim that the Islamic Republic might consider asserting lay claim to the name ‘India’.  

A post shared by the South Asia Index’s X handle stated: “Pakistan may lay claim to the name “India” if India derecongnises it officially at UN level. –local media. Nationalists in Pakistan have long argued that Pakistan has rights to the name as it refers to the Indus region in Pakistan.”

Just IN:— Pakistan may lay claim on name “India” if India derecongnises it officially at UN level. – local media

— Nationalists in Pakistan have long argued that Pakistan has rights on the name as it refers to Indus region in .

— South Asia Index (@SouthAsiaIndex) September 5, 2023

However, there has been no official statement from the Indian government about any intention to change the country’s name.

The post got sharp reactions from social media users, with many of them calling it a joke. Others posted funny reactions.

“If Pakistan claims “India”, Afghanistan may claim Pakistan,” Russia may claim Afghanistan,” and so on. Pakistan should absolutely not start the chain reaction that will likely involve the entire world,” commented a user.

“Changing names won’t change the fortunes of Pakistan,” wrote another user.

“Does it mean Pakistanis want to change the name of Pakistan to India, Hindustan, Industan, or what?,” commented a third user.

Cricketer Virendra Sehwag, who yesterday gave his support to the name change idea, also quoted the post by the South Asia Index and wrote in Hindi, “Gaaon basa nahin aur… (the village is not even settled, and the robbers have already reached).

Gaaon basa nahin aur …. https://t.co/g5Zfe4GUHV

— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) September 5, 2023

The official invite sent by President Droupadi Murmu generated significant attention because, for the first time, it referred to the head of state as the “President of Bharat” in an official capacity.

New Delhi:

Even as the dinner invite to G20 leaders from President Droupadi Murmu sparked controversy and speculation after using the term ‘President of Bharat’ instead of the traditional ‘President of India’ on Tuesday, another document has come to light that refers to Narendra Modi as the ‘Prime Minister of Bharat’. 

A note on the Prime Minister’s visit to Indonesia on Wednesday and Thursday for the 20th ASEAN-India Summit and the 18th East Asia Summit uses the term ‘Prime Minister of Bharat’. 

‘The Prime Minister Of Bharat’ pic.twitter.com/lHozUHSoC4

— Sambit Patra (@sambitswaraj) September 5, 2023

The note was posted on X, formerly Twitter, by BJP National Spokesperson Sambit Patra and invited an immediate attack from the Congress, which pointed out that both the ‘ASEAN-India Summit’ and the ‘Prime Minister of Bharat’ were used in the same document. 

“Look at how confused the Modi government is! The Prime Minister of Bharat at the 20th ASEAN-India summit. All this drama just because the Opposition got together and called itself INDIA,” Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh posted on the platform. 

Look at how confused the Modi government is! The Prime Minister of Bharat at the 20th ASEAN-India summit.

All this drama just because the Opposition got together and called itself INDIA pic.twitter.com/AbT1Ax8wrO

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) September 5, 2023

The G20 invitation from the President has led to buzz about the country’s name being changed and raised the possibility of this being done in the special session of Parliament from September 18-22. The fact that the government has not announced any agenda for the special session has only added to the speculation. 

The opposition has linked the possible move to its 28-party alliance calling itself ‘INDIA’ and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has questioned what the Centre will do if the bloc decides to rename itself ‘Bharat’.

“Just because many opposition parties have formed an alliance and called it INDIA, will the Centre change the name of the country? The country belongs to 140 crore people, not to one party. If the name of the alliance is changed to Bharat, will they change the name of Bharat to BJP,” the AAP chief asked on Tuesday.

Several BJP leaders have welcomed the use of ‘Bharat’, with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma tweeting that the wording of the Presidential invite had made him proud.

“REPUBLIC OF BHARAT – happy and proud that our civilisation is marching ahead boldly towards AMRIT KAAL,” he had posted on X. 

BJP President JP Nadda had also hit out at the Congress and accused the party of objecting to every issue “related to the honour and pride of the country”.

New Delhi:

The buzz about the change of the country’s name from “India” to “Bharat” drew outraged comments from the Opposition today, which accused the government of “planting” stories in the media and “creating a smokescreen of diversion” to divert attention from multiple governance issues.

At the end of two back-to-back meetings — a Congress internal meeting at Sonia Gandhi’s residence and a INDIA leaders’ meet at Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge’s home — the Opposition demanded that the government spell out the agenda of the special session and accused it of keeping the country in the dark.

“Modi Govt is convening a special session of the Parliament for the first time without spelling out the agenda. No one from any opposition party has been consulted or informed. This is not the way to run a Democracy,” Mr Kharge posted on X, formerly Twitter.

“Everyday, Modi Govt plants a story in the media of a prospective ‘agenda’, thereby creating a smokescreen of diversion from real issues burdening the people… The BJP wants to keep key issues like Price Rise, Unemployment, Manipur, China’s transgressions, CAG Reports, Scams and Weakening of Institutions etc. aside and cheat our people,” he added.

Modi Govt is convening a special session of the Parliament for the first time without spelling out the agenda.

No one from any opposition party has been consulted or informed.

This is not the way to run a Democracy.

Everyday, Modi Govt plants a story in the media of a… pic.twitter.com/hL8U0UpcCW

— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) September 5, 2023

Addressing a press conference, Congress’s Gaurav Gogoi said, “BJP itself is not able to tell what is the agenda of the session. The BJP has kept the country in the dark on this. This government is not transparent and responsible towards the country”.

Sources said it was decided at the meeting of INDIA that Mrs Gandhi will write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, listing issues that can be discussed during the special session — including unemployment, price rise and Manipur violence.

The India delegation also expressed dismay over former President Ram Nath Kovind becoming an instrument of executive decision making and part of a body, the disregard of LOP and appointing ex-LOP.

The Bharat-India debate started earlier today with the news that President Droupadi Murmu’s invite to G20 leaders introduces her as the “President of Bharat” instead of the traditional “President of India”.  

A G20 booklet handed to foreign delegates — “Bharat, The Mother Of Democracy”, which said “Bharat is the official name of the country… mentioned in the Constitution” – deepened the confusion.

In the backdrop of the five-day special session of parliament due from September 18 — for which no agenda has been provided by the government – speculation thrived.

Many BJP leaders and celebrities including Amitabh Bachchan, Virender Sehwag and others, hailed “Bharat” on social media. Shortly after, the Opposition slammed the government and went into a huddle.