Nation must be called Bharat, not India: RSS leader Hosabale

Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale on Tuesday reiterated the Sangh’s demand that the country should be officially referred to as Bharat, not India.

Speaking at the launch of the book Vimarsh Bharat Ka, published by Suruchi Prakashan, Hosabale questioned the continued use of the anglicised name India.

“Hamaare desh ka naam Bharat hai, toh Bharat hi kaho… ek aur naam India kyun?” he said, arguing that there should not be two different names for the same nation.

Hosabale’s remarks come amid a nationwide campaign by Sangh-affiliated organisation Shiksha Sanskriti Utthan Nyas, which aims to collect 10 lakh signatures urging President Droupadi Murmu to support a constitutional amendment to rename India as Bharat. The campaign has already gathered 2 lakh signatures.

The demand focuses on Article 1 of the Constitution, which currently states: “India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States.”

RSS-backed groups advocate removing India from this phrasing, making Bharat the sole official name.

Hosabale linked the ongoing debate to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s use of ‘Bharat’ in official communications, including his G20 presidency and January 26 Republic Day invitations, which were issued under the name ‘Republic of Bharat’.

He described the name change as part of a broader effort to “decolonize the Indian mind”, a key focus of the RSS as it approaches its centenary year in 2025.

“We must now call the country Bharat, not India… This is an intellectual battle,” he said.