Mamata: No problem with ‘Bharat’ but ‘no need to dispense the name ‘India’

MP  |  12 Sept 2023 | Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee reiterated on Monday that she has no inhibitions with the name ‘Bharat’ but there is also no need to dispense with the name ‘India’. She alleged that the BJP-led Centre’s move to replace India with Bharat was triggered by a fear of the INDIA bloc, a coalition of 26 Opposition parties. 

Flipping the pages of a copy of the Indian Constitution, Banerjee said: “People also call the country Bharat. There is no problem with it. But they (BJP) are trying to remove India.

This is not proper. On the first page of the Constitution, it is written ‘We the People of India’. Removing the name India without a Constitutional amendment is unconstitutional. In our passport too, ‘Republic of India’ is written”. Banerjee said people refer to the country using both India and Bharat. 

“Bengalis call it Bharatbarsha,” she remarked. She snubbed the BJP for using a ‘lotus’ symbol as the logo of the G20 meeting. “A symbol of a political party was made the G20 logo. This is not right. How can a party symbol represent a country? I am not protesting but this should have been given a thought,” said Banerjee. 

Earlier, Banerjee lambasted the Centre for sending out G20 dinner invitation cards which read ‘President of Bharat’ instead of ‘President of India’. “ 

The world recognises us as India. What happened suddenly that the name of the country needs to be changed?” Banerjee had questioned.

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/mamata-no-problem-with-bharat-but-no-need-to-dispense-the-name-india-532578