‘Bharat, not India’: RSS to back March campaign for name change

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RSS-affiliated Shiksha Sanskriti Utthan Nyas, which played a key role in shaping the National Education Policy, will lead the month-long campaign in March. The initiative aims to collect 10 lakh signatures from citizens across various sectors, including education, government, law and industry, before presenting a petition to President Droupadi Murmu.

Announcing the campaign, Atul Kothari, national general secretary of Nyas, emphasised that the name Bharat carries deeper historical and cultural significance. “India is merely a name, whereas Bharat is a sentiment, a legacy of our ancestors. We will collect 10 lakh signatures in March and submit a petition to the President, urging a constitutional review for renaming the nation as Bharat,” Kothari stated at a Nyas event in Delhi.

The campaign received strong backing from senior RSS leaders, including general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale and joint general secretary Krishna Gopal, both of whom were present at the announcement, signalling institutional support for the movement.

The India vs Bharat debate first gained national attention during the G20 Summit in September 2023, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s nameplate at the summit read “Bharat” instead of “India.” Further fuelling speculation, President Murmu sent official G20 dinner invitations under the title “President of Bharat” instead of “President of India.” At the time, there was speculation that the government might introduce amendments to Article 1 of the Constitution, which currently states: “India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States.” However, no formal legislative action was taken.

The current campaign appears to be a revival of that discussion, with RSS-affiliated groups now taking the lead. Historical records show that the Bharat vs India debate dates back to the Constituent Assembly discussions in September 1949. Several members favoured Bharat, citing references in ancient texts such as the Vedas, Upanishads, Mahabharata, and various Puranas.

In one notable instance, HV Kamath, a member of the Forward Bloc faction of Congress, moved an amendment to Article 1, proposing that the Constitution read: “Bharat, or in the English language, India, shall be a Union of States.” The amendment was defeated, and the dual-name formulation — India and Bharat — was adopted instead.

Since then, both names have been used interchangeably, as seen in official documents such as passports, which bear the descriptions “Republic of India” and “Bharata Ganarajya” side by side. With the latest push from the RSS, the debate over a potential renaming is once again gaining momentum.