00:00 It's the latest controversy to hit the country.
00:03 The government might change the name of the nation to Bharat, a Hindi word for India.
00:08 Both the names are mentioned in the constitution, but it's India that's more commonly used.
00:14 People have a mixed reaction to the proposal.
00:16 Bharat summarises the big history of our country, which is more into Hinduism.
00:24 They've created a proper diversion.
00:26 Now when you ask anyone, they'll be just talking about the changing of the name.
00:29 No one will remember the objective is to fight against unemployment.
00:34 This controversy started during the G20 summit in early September, when the dinner invitation
00:39 sent from the President's office to the world leaders read President of Bharat.
00:44 Also during Prime Minister's speech, the nameplate in front of him read Bharat as the country
00:48 name.
00:50 According to this historian, the Hindu nationalist government wants to get rid of the colonial
00:54 legacy, even when the name was in use much before the British came to India.
00:59 Where it suits the narrative, the idea of decolonisation is being brought in.
01:07 But where it doesn't suit the narrative, you're willing to keep the idea that came up during
01:12 colonial times.
01:14 In the name of history, it is actually the politics of our times that is playing out.
01:25 But the opposition parties believe the sudden push for using a Hindi name by Narendra Modi
01:30 is to exert his Hindu extremist agenda, which can benefit him in next year's general election.
01:36 Bharat and India were used interchangeably.
01:39 What they have done is kind of brought it to a level where one is in conflict with another.
01:44 They want to own that religion.
01:46 They want to turn it into something called Hindutva and give it certain kind of ideology,
01:51 certain orthodoxy.
01:53 We contacted the ruling party, the BJP, for comments.
01:56 They refused to talk to us on camera.
01:59 But they confirmed that there are no plans to officially change India's name to Bharat.
02:04 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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