Defending Centre over Opposition’s dig that the government is trying to rebrand the nation, in an interview to news agency ANI, Jaishankar said the word “Bharat" is mentioned in the constitution.
The entire controversy began with Rashtrapati Bhawan sending out invitations for a G20 dinner on September 9 on behalf of ‘President of Bharat’.
During the interview, Jaishankar said that the connotation of the word ‘Bharat’ is also reflected in the Constitution.
“India, that is Bharat, is there in the Constitution. Please, I would invite everybody to read it,” Jaishankar to the newsagency.
The minister was inquired about the response from opposition parties and whether the government intends to rebrand India as “Bharat" in alignment with the G20 summit.
“Look, when you say Bharat in a sense, a meaning and understanding and a connotation that comes with it and that is reflected in our Constitution as well,” Jaishankar was quoted as saying to ANI.
Opposition parties have claimed that the government’s actions are merely a theatrical display, prompted by the opposition bloc’s decision to collectively refer to themselves as INDIA. Meanwhile, BJP leaders have firmly endorsed the government’s stance.
Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan shared a photo of the dinner invitation he received from the President on ‘X’ and included a few lines from the national anthem in his post.
“This should have happened earlier. This gives great satisfaction to the mind. ‘Bharat’ is our introduction. We are proud of it. The President has given priority to ‘Bharat’. This is the biggest statement to come out of the colonial mindset," the minister told ANI.
‘India Has Reputation for Being Very Constructive Player’
When asked if the Global South countries see India as a credible voice, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said no other G20 presidency has made an effort to get together the developing countries that are not on the table.
“There have been G20 Summits before, no other G20 presidency has made an effort to get together the developing countries who are not on the table and say-please come, sit with us, tell us what are your concerns and we will distil those concerns and place them before the G20," Jaishankar said.
“So, if we have taken the trouble and we mean Prime Minister Modi himself. Outside the G20, India has a reputation for being a very constructive player. Someone who bridges, divides, who kind of somewhere helps to fix problems," Jaishankar added.
Jaishankar said “there is a lot of goodwill" that India has. Jaishankar exuded confidence that “everyone of the G20 coming to Delhi will understand the responsibility that they bear and will understand today that the other 180 countries of the world are looking to them to set directions and that they cannot afford to fail them."
