Indonesia refers to Modi as ‘PM of Bharat’ in invitation letter to ASEAN summit

Even as the speculation market turns red hot over renaming India as ‘Bharat’ in the upcoming special session of the Indian Parliament starting September 18, we already have the first international acknowledgement of the new name.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was referred to as the 'Prime Minister of Bharat' in a special invitation sent by Indonesia ahead of the 20th ASEAN-India summit and the 18th East Asia summit.

Sambit Patra, a spokesperson for the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), shared the invitation on X. PM Modi is scheduled to visit Jakarta on Sept. 6-7 to attend the ASEAN Summit.

Opposition reacts

After the invitation by Indonesia was widely shared by ruling party leaders on social media, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh pointed out the irony that the ‘PM of Bharat’ was going to attend the ASEAN-India summit.

"Look at how confused the Modi government is! The Prime Minister of Bharat at the 20th ASEAN-India summit. All this drama just because the Opposition got together and called itself INDIA," Ramesh wrote on X.

Congress leader Sonia Gandhi seeks details of govt agenda

Congress parliamentary party chief Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday (Sept 6) wrote a letter to PM Modi seeking details of the agenda of the special session of the Parliament.

“You have convened a special five-day session of the Parliament beginning 18 September 2023. I must point out that this Special Session has been convened without any consultation with other political parties. None of us have any idea of its agenda,” Gandhi wrote in the letter.

In the letter, she also mentioned nine major issues that the opposition plans to raise during the five-day-long special session.

1. The current economic situation with a focus on increasing price rise of essential commodities, growing unemployment, rise in inequalities and distress of MSMEs;
2. The commitment made by the Government of India to farmers and farmer organizations in regard to MS and other demands raised by them;
3. Demand for a JPC to investigate the transactions of the Adani business group in light of all revelations;
4. The continued agony faced by the people of Manipur and the breakdown of; Constitutional machinery and social harmony in the State;
5. Rise in communal tension in different States like Haryana;
6. Continued occupation of Indian Territory by China and challenges to our sovereignty on our borders in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh;
7. Urgent need for a Caste Census;
8. Damages being inflicted on Centre-State relations;
9. Impact of natural disasters caused by extreme floods in some States and drought in others

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