Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi plans to change his country’s name to Bharat, according to a report. In an official letter to participants G20 Summit In New Delhi, India’s head of state Draupadi Murmu was introduced as “President of Bharat”.

As reported by News18 TV channel, citing government circles, lawmakers from Modi’s ruling party are also preparing a resolution to support the name Bharat over India. The government has convened a special session of Parliament later this month, but has so far remained silent on the plans.

Reference to the British colonial period

The name Bharat comes from ancient Hindu scriptures written in Sanskrit. This is one of the two official names of the country enshrined in the constitution. Members of the ruling Hindu nationalist party, the BJP, have previously opposed the use of the more familiar name India spoken, which has its roots in Western antiquity and was introduced during the British colonial period.

Modi’s government has long sought to ban symbols of British colonial rule in the country’s institutions, cityscapes and history. Recently, he announced criminal justice reform. Changing the name of the country is the most far-reaching step.

The head of the government of the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, Pushkar Singh Dhami, celebrated the invitation to the state banquet on X (formerly Twitter) and wrote: “Another blow to the slave mentality.”

Opposition representatives expressed caution. “I hope the government is not so stupid as to completely abandon ‘India’,” said Shashi Tharoor of the Congress Party also wrote about “Both names will continue to be used”.