"Our constitution allows this...": Arif Mohammad reacts to NCERT panel's recommendation on replacing 'India with 'Bharat'

Speaking to the Media, Arif Mohammad Khan said, "Actually our Constitution says and uses both the words, India that is Bharat shall be a union of states...Nobody has proposed to make any amendment in the Constitution."

This comes as an NCERT panel, headed by historian CI Issac, recommended replacing 'India' with 'Bharat' in school textbooks.

The recommendations were made by a seven-member Committee for Social Sciences, which is among the committees constituted by the NCERT to prepare position papers on various subjects.

Speaking to ANI over the phone, Issac said, the "term India started being used commonly only after the establishment of the East India Company and the battle of Plassey in 1757"."We have unanimously recommended that the 'Bharat' should be used in textbooks for students across classes," Isaac said.

Ever since the panel came up with the aforementioned recommendation, opposition leaders have made a huge outcry over the issue with some even alleging that the BJP government is trying to create "confusion" as several institutions use 'India' in their names.

Labelling the move as a "political decision", Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said, "It is unfortunate that an India Vs Bharat narrative is being put forward. (The words) 'India that is Bharat' were inscribed into our Constitution by none other than Dr. BR Ambedkar. The coming generations won't forgive them (the Centre) for making this differentiation. India is also Bharat and Hindustan for us. If the BJP had any sense of national pride, the name 'India' wouldn't be changed to 'Bharat'."

Meanwhile NCERT on Wednesday said that "it is too premature to comment" on reports in sections of media concerning changing 'India' to 'Bharat' in its textbooks and noted that the development of a new syllabus and textbooks is in the process for which groups of domain experts are being notified by it. (ANI)