OFF THE MAP

India Could Soon Change Its Name to ‘Bharat’: Report

A row erupted after the Hindi word was used on official G20 invitations.

The government of India may attempt to change the official name of the nation to “Bharat,” according to a report, after a row erupted in the country over G20 Summit invitations. The dinner invitations sent to foreign leaders on behalf of Indian President Droupadi Murmu referred to her as “President of Bharat,” using the Hindi name for India. Members of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling BJP party supported the move, though opposition politicians have questioned its purpose and even linked it to a newly-formed opposition called the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA). “It has just been a few weeks since we named our alliance as INDIA and BJP has started sending invitations with ‘Republic of Bharat’ instead of ‘Republic of India,’” tweeted Manoj Jha, a leader of the Rashtriya Janata Dal party of Bihar state. On Tuesday, the Indian news channel Times Now reported that Modi’s government is “likely” to bring a resolution to officially rename India as Bharat during a special parliamentary session later this month, but the move has not yet been confirmed.