?Why is Modi and his party seeking to change India's name to Bharat
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his ruling party mocked the new name of the opposition alliance (Reuters)
Changing the Islamic names of cities, villages, neighborhoods, streets, and even train stations is something that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party leaders love. Until this week, no one would have guessed that India's official name, "India," would also be changed.
Since Modi came to power in May 2014, the names of hundreds of Islamic landmarks have been changed, history curricula in Indian schools and colleges have been changed, and chapters dealing with the Muslim era have been deleted in bulk, on the pretext that the Islamic era in India was colonial, and therefore history must be corrected and the traces of colonialism removed.
American professor Audrey Terschke described these repeated policies of the Indian government and its desire to remove any monument that indicates the contributions of Muslim rulers to the advancement of India during their centuries-long rule as a process of “annihilation of the past” that will lead to the emergence of new generations that do not recognize the role of Muslims in the advancement and development of India.
spark of the beginning
What prompted Modi to consider changing India's name was a meeting of leaders of 26 opposition parties, where they named their new alliance "India," an acronym that combines the first letters of their union's name, the India National Development Inclusive Alliance.
As soon as the opposition parties announced this name for their bloc on July 16, the leaders of the People’s Party, led by Modi, began to mock the opposition parties, saying that they had only found a “colonial” name for their bloc, stressing that the Indian People’s Party prefers the old, authentic name “Bharat,” and considering that the opposition parties suffer from the effects of colonialism, and that what they are doing is in the service of India’s enemies.
An invitation from the President of India, written as coming from the President of Bharat (social media)
During the exchange of accusations between the two sides, a photo of an invitation card from Indian President Droupadi Murmu to the G20 leaders emerged, which said in English that it was from the “President of Bharat” rather than the “President of India,” as is customary in English-language documents. This was followed by an official paper distributed on the occasion of Modi’s visit to Indonesia this week, describing him as the “Prime Minister of Bharat.”
The idea of changing the country's name is unprecedented in India's history at the official level, which has been independent for 75 years. Although the name has not been officially changed to date, there is speculation that Modi will formally introduce the idea by passing a law through Parliament, when it convenes for 5 days, starting on September 18.
Naming protocols
India has three names: India, Bharat and Hindustan. The Indian Constitution uses both "India" and "Bharat" as official names for India. The name "Bharat" is used in documents issued in Hindi, while the name "India" is used in documents issued in English.
The English did not impose the name "India" on India, but it was used before they came to it, as the Greeks first used this name when they invaded India two thousand years ago, influenced by the name of the "Indus" River that runs through northern India (now Pakistan).
The second name, Bharat, has been used by Hindus for more than two thousand years, and it is said that it goes back to an ancient Hindu ruler.
When the founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, wanted independence, he called for India to call itself "Bharat", and for "India" to be a general name that included both India and Pakistan, which India strongly rejected at that time.
The third name, “Hindustan,” was used by the Persians, then by the Muslim rulers throughout the long Islamic rule, and the Muslims of India still use it, as do the Iranians and Turks.
Fear of opposition gathering
The opposition parties’ move and their coming together in a single alliance is greatly worrying Modi and his party, as they are betting on tearing apart the opposition ranks to be able to win the upcoming elections easily, which are rumored to be held next December. There is also talk of holding the elections for the central parliament and state legislative assemblies simultaneously, as this will benefit the ruling Indian People’s Party.
Modi and his party leaders did not stop at attacking the name of the opposition bloc, “India,” but also accused them of loving power, considering it the main reason for their gathering, and that they do not meet each other on anything else.
Modi's party has so far relied heavily on the dispersion of opposition parties for its electoral success. A candidate from the ruling BJP faces 10 or 15 candidates from different parties in a single constituency, and the votes are then distributed among a large number of candidates. Meanwhile, Hindu extremists vote for one candidate from the BJP, and this is why this candidate wins even if he only gets 10 to 20 percent of the constituency's votes.
This explains Modi’s success in the 2014 elections, where he won only 31% of the total votes, and in 2019 where he won only 39% of the total votes, while the other votes – the majority – were dispersed among a large number of candidates, as none of them won more votes than the BJP candidate alone.
Source: websites