According to the Indian Constitution, English and Hindi are the official languages, but in English the country is called India and in Hindi it is called Bharat.
However, Modi was not the first to introduce this innovation. Previously, Indian President Draupadi Murmu had used the term “Bharat President” instead of “Indian President” in invitations written in English to the G20 summit dinner.
The media even reported that the Indian government intends to officially change the country’s English name to Bharat and bring this issue to a special session of parliament at the end of September.
However, the possible change of the country’s name sparked an outcry from opposition parties, many of whom joined the INDIA bloc that was recently created to fight the 2024 elections.
And Modi’s party, the Indian People’s Party, asked lawmakers and party workers to refrain from making rash statements.