Nagpur: Amid buzz that the country’s name be changed from India to Bharat, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Wednesday claimed that ‘Akhand Bharat’ (Undivided India) will become a reality in the coming years. “You will witness it before you grow old because circumstances are evolving in that direction,” he said while responding to a student’s question at an event in Nagpur.
“You will witness it before you grow old because circumstances are evolving in that direction. Those who separated from India might now realize that it was a mistake. We need to accept India’s nature. It was not just about erasing lines on a map; it was about accepting India’s inherent character. So, once that character is accepted, there will be no need for any change. Everything will naturally unite into one India,” he said.
Bhagwat’s statement comes just a day after a dinner invite from the Rashtrapati Bhawan to G20 delegates triggered speculation that the government may change the country’s name to Bharat. Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan shared that invitation that was issued in the name of ‘President of Bharat’ instead of ‘President of India’.
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This triggered a buzz that the government may be planning to change the country’s name in the special session of Parliament from September 18-22. The opposition parties including Congress and AAO claimed that their alliance INDIA had worried the BJP which was now trying to drop India and keep only Bharat as the country’s name.
While the government has not made anything official as yet, the RSS chief said: “The name of our country has been Bharat for ages. Whatever may be the language, the name remains the same.” “Our country is Bharat and we will have to stop using the word ‘India’ and start using ‘Bharat’ in all practical fields, only then will change happen. We will have to call our country Bharat and explain it to others as well,” he added.
Bhagwat also batted for reservations saying: “We kept our own fellow human beings behind in the social system…We did not care for them, and this continued for almost 2,000 years. Until we provide them equality, some special remedies have to be done. Reservations are one of them. Reservations should continue till there is such discrimination. The Sangh gives complete support to the reservations provided in the Constitution.”
Earlier in the day, Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi stating that the Special Session of the Parliament had been called without any prior discussion with the opposition and also sought details of the agenda of the session.
Union Minister Prahlad Joshi said Gandhi was trying to do politics. “Nowhere in the past before calling the session, there was a consultation with opposition parties. It is the prerogative of the government. Never ever before when other governments were also there, agenda was disclosed in advance.”
