"They are scared of word India": Congress MP Pramod Tiwari questions Centre
Sep 05, 2023
New Delhi [India], September 5 : After Rashtrapati Bhawan sent out an invite for a G20 dinner on September 9 in the name of 'President of Bharat' instead of India, Congress MP Pramod Tiwari on Tuesday said that the Centre is scared of the word India.
The Congress leader said that 'India' is mentioned in Article 1 of the country's Constitution and how can it be removed.
"PM Modi had given names like 'Make in India', 'Skill India', 'Khelo India'...They (BJP) are scared of the word 'India', Article 1 of the Constitution says 'India, that is Bharat'...How can this name (India) be removed...?" Tiwari said while speaking to ANI.
A row erupted after Congress Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh said that Rashtrapati Bhawan has sent out an invite for a G20 dinner on September 9 in the name of 'President of Bharat' instead of the usual 'President of India'.
Ramesh accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “distorting history and dividing India” and said the objective of parties in the INDIA bloc is also "BHARAT - Bring Harmony, Amity, Reconciliation And Trust."
“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'. 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,” Ramesh said on ‘X’, formerly known as Twitter.
Congress Lok Sabha MP and CWC member Shashi Tharoor also questioned the BJP motive. In a post on X he said "While there is no constitutional objection to calling India “Bharat”, which is one of the country’s two official names, I hope the government will not be so foolish as to completely dispense with “India”, which has incalculable brand value built up over centuries."
Meanwhile, Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar lashed out at Congress and said that the country was Bharat and will always remain Bharat.
"They have a problem with everything and I do not want to say anything for them. I am a 'Bharatwaasi', the name of my country was 'Bharat' and will remain 'Bharat' always. If Congress has a problem with this, they should find a cure for it themselves," the Union Minister said while speaking to ANI.
