The Indian government plans to return the name Bharat to the country.
This was reported by the Indian edition of The Economic Times.
Why India wants to change its name
According to the report, a corresponding resolution may be introduced at a special session of the Indian Parliament, which will be held on September 18-22.
Indian National Congress chief Jairam Ramesh said official invitations to the G20 summit dinner in New Delhi on September 9-10 were sent on behalf of President Bharat, not India.
Now the first article of the Constitution can read: Bharat, that is, India, shall be a Union of States, – Ramesh said on social networking site H.
As one of the deputies of the upper house of the Indian Parliament explained, the name “India” is planned to be deleted from the Constitution, since it is colonial and symbolizes slavery.
He recalled that the country was renamed India by the British and that for thousands of years it was known as Bharat.
This is the ancient name of the country which is found in ancient Sanskrit texts, – said the parliamentarian.
According to the constitution, India has two official languages: Hindi and English. In Hindi the country is called Bharat, in English it is called India.
For parliament to pass a resolution to rename the country, the document must be supported by a simple majority.
The authorities will then have to amend the English version of the Constitution, where the name “India” is mentioned in at least ten places.
