Bharat is a mindset which encapsulates all the changes that have been going on in the country over the last few years, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told NDTV today when asked about the mainstreaming of the name.
In a wide-ranging exclusive interview with NDTV Editor-in-Chief Sanjay Pugalia following the publication of his new book “Why Bharat Matters”, Mr Jaishankar said, “I consider Bharat a mindset, an approach”.
“What I think is, in terms of culture, self-confidence, delivery, our way of thinking, if you count it all, then if we have to describe the concept in short, the word Bharat conveys the message,” he added.
The name Bharat, used in the Constitution to describe India, made headlines last year during the G20 summit.
A huge controversy broke out after it was found that President Droupadi Murmu’s dinner invite to the foreign leaders attending the summit, described her as the President of Bharat.
The Opposition accused the Centre of planning to drop India and staying with just Bharat as the country’s name. The BJP’s leaders and ministers argued that ‘Bharat’ has been “in use from time immemorial”. The debate raged on social media as well.
Officials of the United Nations have said the name can be changed in the records if New Delhi completes all the formalities.
