India and ‘Bharat’ names controversies will be more than the mere high-voltage social media controversy. The opposition parties applied Quiz Master-variety of political intellect and a typical ‘NGO intellectualism’. In the process, the Opposition parties by rechristening their ‘coalition’ as I.N.D.I.A has given away a powerful tool to ‘hardliners’ to restart the demand for renaming the country as Bharat.
This may be ‘Chowkidar Chor hae’ type immature move which can boomerang. To start with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has changed his Twitter bio and calls him now ‘Chief Minister of Assam, BHARAT’ (replacing India). Nothing happens in the BJP in isolation.
There is every chance some ‘clever’ minds are at work either in Delhi or even at Nagpur that green signaled Himanta’s move. The saffron brigade’s major big campaigns begin with such small steps. Hence, it is understood why Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, perhaps also a claimant to the PM’s post in 2024, expressed his displeasure over the naming.
Even the Leftists were surprised and reportedly Sitaram Yechury (Marxist) and D Raja of CPI went for a brief huddle during the meeting itself.
The communists in Indian politics were like Brahmins — advising and exerting power from outside but with no much responsibility. The mess in Indian politics in 1996-97 when Deve Gowda and I K Gujral were made Prime Ministers were their creation. But sadly, even for ‘naam karan’ (name ceremony) they were not consulted in 2023. Their days are practically over.
That they could save their only government in Kerala in 2021 was sheer magical power play by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and neither Sitaram Yechury nor D Raja had played a role in it. Now it will be left to the BJP and the leadership to come out with another ‘demand’ and set the timing. After abrogation of Art 370 and having ensured Ram temple at Ayodhya, the saffron party was left with only the ‘United Civil Code’ as an unfinished agenda; and now renaming India as ‘Bharat’ will be one of those so-called ‘secret agendas’.
And it goes without saying there is a large section of Indian voters who will endorse such a move — at least to draw some consolation that the ‘golden era’ of past glories will be back. As it is since Independence in 1947, India has witnessed several cities, towns, roads and railway stations being named and renamed owing to reasons attached to religion and ethnicity.
The BJP governments in the centre under Narendra Modi and in Uttar Pradesh under ‘hardliner’ Chief Minister Yogi Adtyanath have done it with a number of railway stations. Not to go far; in 2020 there was a plea in the Supreme Court claimed that the name of the country be changed to Bharat or Hindustan and that such an amendment will “ensure the citizens of this country get over the colonial past and instill a sense of pride in our own nationality”. The Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde in its order had directed that such a prayer should be handled by the authorities or ministries concerned.
“The present petition is directed to be treated as a representation and may be considered by the appropriate ministries,” ruled the bench comprising Justices A S Bopanna and Hrishikesh Roy. Hence, there are both social contexts and ‘legal backgrounds’ to work on these lines.
Of course, a section of Opposition leaders are stating that if the BJP goes for ‘name change to Bharat’campaign, it will backfire as the very idea of India will be challenged. “This is something the Congress and other opposition parties are stating for last nine years; the BJP and the Modi government are all for Hindutva-oriented politics and against the very idea of India”,” says a Congress leader in the northeast.
“Our civilisational conflict in pivoted around India and Bharat. The British named our country as India. We must strive to free ourselves from colonial legacies. Our forefathers fought for Bharat and we will continue to work for Bharat. BJP for Bharat,” Assam chief minister Himanta tweeted. And this may be a beginning.
In the past, even RSS leaders have made remarks favouring the name change and many right-wing writers tend to use to the word ‘Bharat’ when it comes to using the nomenclature India.
There is another paradox. The ‘name change’ regimes always go with the power-politics hegemony and hence the ‘Islamic history’ has been the looser in last few years. This time again, the campaign itself ‘BJP for Bharat’ may set the polarisation game rolling. The Muslims may come under attack directly or in a veiled manner.
Himanta’s tweet says “the British named our country as India”. This may bring Christian legacy in focus. The opposition parties might have done a big favour to Narendra Modi on their first meeting itself.
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