Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has replaced India with an ancient Sanskrit word in dinner invitations for the Group of Twenty summit, echoing his party’s Hindu nationalist push to erase from society what it deems to be colonial-era names.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has replaced India with an ancient Sanskrit word in dinner invitations for the Group of Twenty summit, echoing his party’s Hindu nationalist push to erase from society what it deems to be colonial-era names.
India’s President Droupadi Murmu was referred to “President of Bharat,” according to a copy of the dinner invitation sent to guests attending the G-20 seen by Bloomberg. Navika Gupta, the president’s deputy secretary, confirmed the invitation for dinner that’s scheduled for Sept. 9.
Read: What to Look For as Modi Hosts G-20 Summit in India: QuickTake
Bharat is used interchangeably with India in the South Asian country’s constitution and often appears in popular songs and movies. In recent months, members in Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party have pushed to use the Sanskrit version, saying the word India is a symbol of colonial slavery and should be removed from the constitution.
With using Bharat in an official G-20 invite, Modi and his government are looking to burnish the 72-year-old’s credentials on the world stage, and with voters as he seeks a third term in elections due next summer. Local media reported the government is looking at using a special session in parliament after the G-20 summit to change the South Asian country’s official name to Bharat.
Read: Modi Turns G-20 Summit Into Not-So-Subtle India Election Kickoff
Modi’s policies are aimed at ensuring the BJP wins a landslide among Hindus who make up 80% of the population. Other measures include renaming colonial-era names of several cities, pushing through a citizenship law based on religion, and refraining from commenting on the recent communal clashes between Hindus and Muslims near the capital.
India is also the name of an alliance formed by several opposition parties in July to challenge Modi and his party in the national elections.
Shashi Tharoor, a senior lawmaker in the opposition Congress Party, said the government shouldn’t be so hasty to stop the use of the word India.
“We should continue to use both words rather than relinquish our claim to a name redolent of history, a name that is recognised around the world,” he said in a social media post.
–With assistance from Devidutta Tripathy.
(Updates with the opposition parties naming their alliance India for the elections next year.)
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