India vs Bharat

The recent political resolution of the BJP’s national executive reads: “Our Constitution describes India as Bharat also, refusal to chant victory to Bharat is tantamount to disrespect to our Constitution itself. ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ is not merely a slogan ”

This ignores the fact that the Constitution does not require us to chant anything. It is plain sophistry to say that those who do not utter “Bharat Mata ki Jai” show disrespect to Bharat or India. “Bharat Mata” is not the same as Bharat, which is a political territory. Mukul Dube Via email