media report
Bharat instead of India? Prime Minister Modi wants to change his country’s name
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi
© Manish Swarup/AP/DPA
India’s government is keeping a low profile, but there is increasing evidence that Prime Minister Modi would like to rename the country. Although the last word has not yet been spoken, criticism is already pouring down.
As the TV channel News18 reported, citing government circles, MPs from Modi’s ruling party are also preparing a resolution to favor the term “Bharat” over India. The government has called a special session of parliament for the end of the month, but has so far kept a low profile on its plans.
The name “Bharat” goes back to ancient Hindu scriptures written in Sanskrit. It is one of the two official constitutional terms for the country. Members of Modi’s ruling Hindu nationalist party, the BJP, had previously opposed the use of the more familiar name of India, which has its roots in Western antiquity and was introduced during the British colonial era.
Praise and criticism for Modi’s naming plans for India
While members of Modi’s BJP supported the project, opposition politicians reacted with outrage. “I hope that the government will not be so foolish as to completely abandon ‘India’,” said Shashi Tharoor of the opposition Congress Party on the online service X, formerly Twitter. Instead of giving up the “claim to a historic name” that is recognized worldwide, “both names should continue to be used”.
Former cricketer Virender Sehwag, on the other hand, welcomed the prospect of a possible name change for the country. India is a name given “by the British,” he explained. A change to “Bharat” is “long overdue. He called on the national cricket federation to print “Bharat” on national shirts as well.
In its quest for emancipation from British colonialism, Modi’s government has long sought to erase symbols of colonial rule from India’s history books, cityscape and institutions. Most recently, she announced reforms in the penal code. A possible name change of the country could be the most far-reaching step so far.