New Delhi - In a potential overhaul that could reset the central identification point of the Indian republic, a prominent leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Assam Chief Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, has indicated that the official name of the Indian republic is set to be changed.
Sarma took to X, formerly known as Twitter, and wrote, "REPUBLIC OF BHARAT - happy and proud that our civilization is marching ahead boldly towards AMRIT KAAL."

Sarma's post on 'X' has been widely interpreted as confirmation from a leader of the ruling party that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government is planning to bring a resolution for a potential name change during the scheduled special session of the Indian parliament later this month.

Jairam Ramesh, the leader of India's principal opposition party, Congress, also used X to point out that an invite for a state dinner from Rashtrapati Bhawan—the official residence of the President of India—was sent under the title 'President of Bharat,' not 'President of India' as was previously the case. "So the news is indeed true," Jairam Ramesh wrote on X.

"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.' But now even this 'Union of States' is under assault," Ramesh added.

In another post on X, Jairam Ramesh characterized it as an attack on the I.N.D.I.A. alliance of opposition parties. Founded in July 2023, the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance is a political alliance of 26 parties led by the Indian National Congress. The alliance aims to challenge the Prime Minister Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party, which is seeking a third term next year.

Article 1 of the Indian constitution declares that 'India, that is Bharat,' is a 'Union of States.' This inaugural article of India's constitution also defines India's territory and nomenclature-related aspects.

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, a former Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, expressed his views on X, saying, "While there is no constitutional objection to calling India 'Bharat,' which is one of the country's two official names, I hope the government will not be so foolish as to completely dispense with 'India,' which has incalculable brand value built up over centuries. We should continue to use both words rather than relinquish our claim to a name redolent of history, a name that is recognized around the world."

The name 'India' derives from 'Indus,' named after the Indus (or Sindhu) river that flows through Tibet, India's Jammu and Kashmir, and most of Pakistan. The Greeks and Iranians referred to it as 'Hindos' or 'Indos,' meaning the land to the east of the Indus River. Following colonial conquests by the Dutch, French, and British, it became the name for the country India.

In the ancient Indian text Vishnu Purana, the name 'Bharat' is mentioned as the landmass that lies north of the ocean and south of the snow mountains. It states:

Uttaraṃ yatsamudrasya himādreścaiva dakṣiṇam
varṣaṃ tadbhārataṃ nāma bhāratī yatra santatiḥ

This shloka means: "The country (Varsam) that lies north of the ocean and south of the snowy mountains is called Bharatam; there live the descendants of Bharata.

Constitutionally, 'Bharat' is the official Sanskrit name of the country, 'Bharat Ganarajya,' Republic of India. So far, the names 'Bharat' and 'India' have often been used interchangeably, and 'Bharat' is interpreted as an indigenous translation of the word 'India.' The passports issued to Indian citizens also bear the official names 'Bharat Ganrajya' (in Hindi) and 'Republic of India' (in English)."