A dinner invite on behalf of President Droupadi Murmu to G20 foreign leaders and Chief Ministers, mentioning her as “President of Bharat” instead of the President of India, has triggered a huge buzz around a possible change in the country’s official nomenclature.

The use of the term “President of Bharat” is possibly the first time that the nomenclature has been used in an official communication. Notably, the term ‘Bharat’ also found mention in a G20 booklet handed to foreign delegates. The booklet was titled: “Bharat, there is democracy”.

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The official use of the ‘Bharat’ term comes just two days after Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat made a call to end the use of the word ‘India’ to refer to the country and instead use ‘Bharat’.

“We must stop using the word India and start using Bharat. At times we use India to make those who speak English understand. This comes as the flow. However, we must stop using this…The name of the country Bharat will remain Bharat wherever you go in the world. In spoken and written one must say Bharat,” Bhagwat had said.

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Most BJP leaders have welcomed the move to refer to the country as Bharat, though Congress has taken exception to the use of the nomenclature. Taking to Twitter, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma lauded the change. “REPUBLIC OF BHARAT – happy and proud that our civilisation is marching ahead boldly towards AMRIT KAAL,” he posted on X.

The Congress, however, did not take the change too kindly. “So the news is indeed true. Rashtrapati Bhawan has sent out an invite for a G20 dinner on Sept 9th in the name of ‘President of Bharat’ instead of the usual ‘President of India’,” Congress leader and general secretary Jairam Ramesh tweeted.

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“Now, Article 1 in the Constitution can read: ‘Bharat, that was India, shall be a Union of States’. But now even this “Union of States” is under assault,” he alleged.

“Now, Article 1 in the Constitution can read: ‘Bharat, that was India, shall be a Union of States’. But now even this “Union of States” is under assault,” he alleged.

The debate over India versus Bharat ignited after a collective of 26 Opposition parties formed an alliance and named it I.N.D.I.A, short for Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance. “The fight is between NDA and INDIA, Between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and INDIA, between their (the BJP’s) ideology and INDIA. You know what happens when someone stands against India, who wins,” Rahul Gandhi explained during a press conference.

The united Opposition’s name drew a sharp response from the BJP, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi alleging that the Opposition was trying to whitewash its sins by misusing the name of the country.

“They changed their name from UPA to INDIA to hide how they schemed against the poor… The name INDIA is not to show their patriotism but with an intention to rob the country,” he said in Parliament last month.