New Delhi - Changing the Islamic names of cities, villages, neighborhoods, streets, and even train stations is something that is dear to the heart of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party leaders, and no one would have thought before this week that India’s official name, “India,” would also be changed.

Since Modi came to power in May 2014, hundreds of names of Islamic monuments have been changed, history curricula in Indian schools and colleges have also been changed, and chapter sections dealing with the Muslim era have been deleted entirely, since the Islamic era in India was colonialism, and therefore history must be corrected and removed. Effects of colonialism.

American professor Audrey Tarshak described these repeated policies of the Indian government and its desire to remove any landmark that refers to the contributions of Muslim rulers to the advancement of India during their centuries-long rule, as a process of “annihilation of the past” that will lead to the emergence of new generations that do not know the role of Muslims in India’s advancement and development.

The spark of the beginning

What prompted Modi to think about changing the name of India was a meeting that included the leaders of 26 opposition parties, where they called the word “India” for their new alliance, which is an acronym that combines the first letters in English from the name of their federation, “India National Development Inclusive Alliance.” .

And as soon as the opposition parties came out to announce this name for their bloc on July 16, the leaders of the People's Party - led by Modi - began mocking the opposition parties, that they only found a "colonial" name for their bloc, stressing that the Indian People's Party prefers the name "Bharat". The old authentic, knowing that the opposition parties are suffering from the effects of colonialism, and that what they are doing is serving the enemies of India.

During the period of accusations between the two sides, a picture of an invitation card from the President of the Republic of India, Draupadi Mormo, came out to the leaders of the G20 summit, in which it was written in English that it was directed by the “President of Bharat” instead of the “President of India”, as is customary in documents written in the language English, followed by an official paper distributed on the occasion of Modi's visit this week to Indonesia, describing him as the "Prime Minister of Bharat".

Thinking of changing the name of the country is a precedent in the history of India at the official level, which has passed since its independence 75 years ago, and although the name has not officially changed until today, there is speculation that Modi will present the idea officially by passing a law through parliament, when it is in session for a period of time. 5 days, starting next September 18.

Label "Protocols".

India has three names; They are: India, Bharat, and Hindustan. The Indian constitution used both “India” and “Bharat” as two official names for India. The name “Bharat” is used in documents issued in the Hindi language, while the name “India” is used in documents issued in English.

The English did not impose the name "India" on India, but rather it was used before they came to it, as the Greeks used this name for the first time when they invaded India two thousand years ago, influenced by the name of the "Indus" river that flows in northern India (now Pakistan).

The second name, Bharat, has been used by Hindus for more than two thousand years, and it is said that it belongs to a Hindu ruler in ancient times.

And when the founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, wanted independence, he called for India to call itself "Bharat", and for "India" to be a general name that includes both India and Pakistan, which was strongly rejected by India at the time.

As for the third name, "Hindustan", it was used by the Persians, then by the Muslim rulers through the long Islamic rule, and the Muslims of India are still using it, just as the Iranians and Turks use it.

Fear of opposition gathering

The movement of the opposition parties and their coming together in one alliance greatly worries Modi and his party, as they are betting on tearing apart the ranks of the opposition in order to be able to win the upcoming elections easily, the date of which is expected to be held next December, and there is also talk of holding central parliamentary elections. the State legislatures simultaneously; Because this will benefit the ruling Indian People's Party.

Not only did Modi and his party leaders attack the name of the opposition bloc, “India,” but they also accused them of loving power, claiming that it was the main reason for their gathering, and that they did not meet with each other for anything else.

For its electoral successes - so far - Modi's party relies mainly on the dispersion of the opposition parties, as the People's Party (ruling) candidate faces 10 or 15 candidates from different parties in one electoral district, and then the votes are distributed among a large number of candidates, while most Hindus vote For one candidate from the Indian People's Party, this candidate wins even if he scores only between 10 and 20% of the district's votes.

This explains Modi’s success in the 2014 elections, where he received a total of only 31% of the total votes, and in 2019, where he received only 39% of the total votes, while the other votes - which are the majority - were dispersed among a large number of candidates, as no one received any votes. One of them gets more votes than the candidate of the Indian People's Party separately.