In the wake of the intense “Bharat-India” political dispute that has dominated headlines for nearly 48 hours, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has issued a directive to his ministers, urging them to abstain from making public remarks on the matter. During a Council of Ministers meeting where discussions ranged from G20 matters to other pressing issues, sources have reported that he unequivocally stated, “Refrain from offering comments.”
Notably, this marks the first instance where Prime Minister Modi has openly addressed the topic with his ministerial team.
Over the past day, the opposition has convened on two occasions to strategize their approach to this unfolding situation. Earlier today, former Congress leader Sonia Gandhi penned a letter to Prime Minister Modi, presenting a roster of nine subjects suitable for deliberation during the forthcoming special parliamentary session, scheduled to commence on September 18.
The government’s response has been firm, asserting that Mrs. Gandhi’s approach deviates from customary parliamentary practices, wherein the session’s agenda is typically not pre-discussed before its commencement. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi articulated this stance, stating, “Following the President’s call to convene the session but preceding its initiation, a meeting of all party leaders takes place, during which parliamentary matters are deliberated upon, and the session’s course is charted.”
Since Monday, when the news broke that President Droupadi Murmu’s invitation to G20 leaders identifies her as the “President of Bharat,” tensions between the opposition and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have escalated. The following day, an official document surfaced, referring to Prime Minister Modi as the “Prime Minister of Bharat.”
The opposition has accused the ruling party of employing diversionary tactics to deflect attention from governance shortcomings, including escalating unemployment, poverty, and rising prices. Additionally, this issue appears to be a manifestation of the Opposition Front adopting the name “INDIA.”
Amid the ongoing political sparring, credible sources have indicated that the special session’s primary agenda revolves around discussions pertaining to the G20 summit.
Meanwhile, K Kavitha of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi has raised questions about the omission of the long-standing demand for the Women’s Reservation Bill in Sonia Gandhi’s nine-point letter to PM Modi. Her letter encompasses topics such as the Centre-state relationship, communalism, the situation in Manipur, and the border dispute with China.
In this rapidly evolving political landscape, the debate over India’s identity and nomenclature continues to captivate the nation’s attention, setting the stage for what promises to be a significant parliamentary session.
