India Considers Controversial Push to Change Country's Name to 'Bharat'

The Indian government recently invited guests to a state dinner for the "president of Bharat", fueling speculation that it plans to formally change the country's name from India to Bharat.

The ruling BJP party supports changing the name to disconnect from India's colonial past, while critics see it as an attempt to marginalize non-Hindu citizens.

India's constitution refers to the country as both "India, that is Bharat", so a name change would require a constitutional amendment.

The push echoes previous BJP efforts to normalize controversial policies before formalizing them.

Critics argue the name change is less about colonialism and more about the Hindu nationalist vision of creating an exclusive "Hindu nation".