"He should read history..." Cong MP Pramod Tiwari hits out at EAM Jaishankar amid India vs Bharat row
Sep 06, 2023
New Delhi [India], September 6 : As External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, amid the controversy over using 'Bharat' instead of 'India', asked everybody to read the Constitution, Congress MP Pramod Tiwari on Wednesday said that the Foreign Minister should read history.
The Congress leader said that the External Affairs Minister is asking to read the Constitution but I would suggest that he should read the history.
This comes after EAM Jaishankar in an exclusive interview with ANI, which aired on Wednesday, reacted to the ongoing controversy that was triggered after Rashtrapati Bhawan sent out invitations for a G20 dinner on September 9 on behalf of 'President of Bharat'.
“India that is Bharat, it is there in the Constitution. Please, I would invite everybody to read it,” Jaishankar said.
The minister was asked about the opposition parties’ reaction and if the government is going to reposition India as Bharat coinciding with the G20 summit.
“Look when you say Bharat in a sense, a meaning and understanding and a connotation that comes with it and that is reflected in our Constitution as well,” Jaishankar said.
Responding to this, Congress leader Tiwari said, "...There have been bills and debates on it... The Foreign Minister is asking to read the Constitution but I would suggest that he should read history... I would say that you have given a cowardly statement on China from the country's leadership... We have been saying that whoever wants to use 'Bharat', should use it... We reacted when one of your MPs said that Bharat should stay, and India should be removed..."
Opposition parties have alleged that the government was resorting to “drama” just because they got together and called their bloc as INDIA.
BJP leaders have strongly supported the move by the government.
Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan posted on ‘X’ a picture of the dinner invite to him from the President and wrote a few lines from the national anthem.
"This should have happened earlier. This gives great satisfaction to the mind. 'Bharat' is our introduction. We are proud of it. The President has given priority to 'Bharat'. This is the biggest statement to come out of the colonial mindset," the minister told ANI.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh made a series of posts on the issue.
“So the news is indeed true. Rashtrapati Bhawan has sent out an invite for a G20 dinner on September 9th in the name of 'President of Bharat' instead of the usual 'President of India'.
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 said in a post on ‘X’, formerly known as Twitter.
The Congress leader accused the Modi government of trying to distort history and said ‘BHARAT” is objective of INDIA parties. “It is BHARAT—Bring Harmony, Amity, Reconciliation And Trust. Judega BHARAT Jeetega INDIA!,” Jairam Ramesh said.
