Amidst an ongoing debate over the potential renaming of India to Bharat, an old video featuring former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav has resurfaced, gaining traction on social media. This clip, extracted from a previous NDTV interview, presents Lalu Yadav discussing the distinction between India and Bharat.
In this brief video, the leader of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) can be seen employing a Neem twig for dental hygiene while drawing parallels between India and Bharat. When queried about the availability of Neem twigs in Delhi, he responds by highlighting the regional disparity, stating that it is challenging to find them in Delhi because it falls under the category of ‘India,’ whereas Patna is situated within ‘Bharat.’
This video has gained renewed attention in the wake of a recent controversy surrounding the use of ‘President of Bharat’ on official G20 Summit invitations. Notably, this unconventional nomenclature was also featured in a G20 booklet intended for foreign delegates, titled “Bharat, The Mother Of Democracy.” Furthermore, another document has surfaced, designating Narendra Modi as the ‘Prime Minister of Bharat.’
These developments have ignited political fervor and intensified discussions about a potential name change during the special parliamentary session scheduled from September 18 to 22. Notably, the government has yet to disclose the agenda for this session, contributing to the air of speculation.
The opposition has linked this possible alteration to its 28-party alliance, collectively named ‘INDIA.’ Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has questioned whether the government will consider renaming the country if the alliance opts for ‘Bharat’ as its new designation.
The utilization of ‘Bharat’ in official documents has garnered support from members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who welcome the nomenclature. They have accused the opposition of being anti-national and anti-constitutional. The BJP contends that the term ‘Bharat’ is enshrined in Article 1 of the Constitution, which stipulates, “India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States.”
As the debate rages on, the nation awaits further developments on the potential name change from India to Bharat during the forthcoming special parliamentary session.
