Could India Really Change Its Name to ‘Bharat’?

Speculation is growing that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government could try to change the name of the country of India – to Bharat.   

Constitutionally, Bharat is already the official Sanskrit name for the country and passports include both official names of Bharat Ganrajya in Hindi and the Republic of India in English.

A recent invite sent out for an upcoming G20 state dinner referred to Droupadi Murmu as the “President of Bharat” instead of the usual “President of India.”

Several politicians from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have expressed support for a name change while opposition party politicians seem to be rattled by the suggestion.

Shashi Tharoor, a lawmaker for the Indian National Congress party and former minister, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that it would be “foolish” to stop calling the country India.

“While there is no constitutional objection to calling India ‘Bharat’, which is one of the country’s two official names, I hope the government will not be so foolish as to completely dispense with ‘India’, which has incalculable brand value built up over centuries,” he wrote. 

“We should continue to use both words rather than relinquish our claim to a name redolent of history, a name that is recognised around the world,” he added.

Meanwhile, a BJP spokesperson also tweeted to say that Modi was attending an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Indonesia as the “Prime Minister of Bharat.”

A special parliamentary session is due to take place in late September where a name change could officially be announced.