Is India Officially going to be renamed "Bharat" ?

President Droupadi Murmu is referred to as “President of Bharat” instead of “President of India” in the invitation sent to G20 attendees on Tuesday;

The invitation sent to G20 attendees on September 5, 2023, for the G20 summit dinner hosted at Rashtrapati Bhawan has raised eyebrows due to the use of the term 'President of Bharat' instead of 'President of India.' This has led to widespread speculation about a potential move by the Central government to rename the country from India to Bharat.

This shift in terminology finds support among officials within Prime Minister Modi's right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). They argue that the term 'India' was imposed during British colonial rule and is viewed as a symbol of past subjugation. The British colonized India for nearly two centuries until the country gained independence in 1947.

The BJP has a history of promoting a nationalist agenda that seeks to distance India from its Mughal and colonial history. Critics argue that this agenda aims to transform constitutionally secular India into an ethnically Hindu state.

While there has been no official confirmation regarding the name change, some speculate that the purpose behind convening a special five-day session of Parliament starting on September 18th, which coincides with the 74th anniversary of the adoption of Article 1 by the Constituent Assembly, could be related to this potential renaming of the country to Bharat.