According to The Economic Times, the Indian authorities decided to return the historical name of Bharat to the country.
It is expected that the relevant resolution will be published at a special session of the Parliament, which will be held from 18 to 22 September.
According to the head of the Indian National Congress, Jairam Ramesh, “Now Article 1 of the Constitution can read: Bharat, that is, India, shall be a Union of States.”
In addition, according to him, the official invitations to the G20 summit dinner were sent on behalf of President Bharat, and not the President of India.
As noted in the country’s parliament, “the British renamed Bharat to India. <…> Our country has been known under the name of Bharat for thousands of years… This is the ancient name of the country, which is found in Sanskrit texts. The name India was colonial and thus is a symbol of slavery. The name India should be struck out of the Constitution.”
To pass a resolution to rename the country, it is required that it be supported by a majority in both houses of parliament. The constitution will then need to be amended in at least 10 places where the “Government of India” is mentioned.