G20 dinner invitation addresses India's President as 'President of Bharat'

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh raised eyebrows on September 5 as he took a swipe at the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Central government for an unusual G20 dinner invite that referred to the President of India as the 'President of Bharat.' 

The move prompted Ramesh to suggest a change in Article 1 of the Indian Constitution, humorously proposing that it could now read: “Bharat, that was India, shall be a Union of States.”

The controversy arose when the G20 summit invitation for a high-profile dinner event read 'President of Bharat' instead of the customary 'President of India.' Ramesh, known for his witty reply, wasted no time in taking to social media to comment on the situation.

''So the news is indeed true. Rashtrapati Bhawan has sent out an invite for a G20 dinner on Sept 9th in the name of the '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,'' Jairam wrote on micro-blogging site X.

So the news is indeed true.

Rashtrapati Bhawan has sent out an invite for a G20 dinner on Sept 9th 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.”…

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) September 5, 2023

On July 18, after slamming the opposition alliance's name 'INDIA' claiming that it was the British who named the nation India, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma removed the word India from his Twitter bio and changed it to Bharat.

“Our civilizational conflict is pivoted around India and Bharat. The British named our country India. We must strive to free ourselves from colonial legacies. Our forefathers fought for Bharat, and we will continue to work for Bharat. BJP for BHARAT”, Sarma wrote on X.

Sarma's statement came after on July 17 Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge announced the name of the opposition alliance that would lock horns with the ruling NDA in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA).

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