3 min readPuneSep 17, 2023 07:24 AM IST
First published on: Sep 16, 2023 at 06:18 PM IST
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS) joint general secretary Manmohan Vaidya Saturday said India is the only country which has two names and that the name of the country is Bharat and should remain so since the name is popular since ancient times.
Stating that the Sangh has always been insisting on the use of Bharat, Vaidya said, “Bharat is the only country using two names . The name of the country is Bharat and it should remain so. Bharat is the popular name since ancient times,” he said.
The RSS leader’s statement comes soon after the G-20 Summit, where invites sent by President Droupadi Murmu to foreign dignitaries for a dinner mentioned her as the ‘President of Bharat’ in place of ‘President of India.’ Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing world leaders at the G20 Summit, had a name plaque in front of him, addressing him as the Prime Minister of Bharat, which stirred speculations that the Modi-led BJP government is trying to officially change the name of the country.
Expressing satisfaction over the BJP rule in the country in the last nine years, Vaidya said the BJP was going in the right direction vis-a-vis ruling the country and that the party needed 25 to 30 years for it to correct things of the past. “After 2014, Bharat is slowly rising to its cultural identity. There are major changes taking place in its foreign policy, defence policy and education policy. These changes are creating a cultural identity of the country and the world is realising it,” said Vaidya, when asked to assess BJP rule in the country in the last nine years and the stand of RSS for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
He was speaking after the three-day coordination meeting of 36 organisations affiliated to the RSS in Pune city on Saturday.
“There has to be correction of many things done in the past years and it would require 25 to 30 years for it. The direction in which it (BJP) is going is absolutely right,” said the RSS joint general secretary.
On discussion about the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, Vaidya said, “Ram Mandir has been constructed and the Sangh has been informed about it. The consecration ceremony will be held some time around Makar Sankranti.”
The three-day coordination meeting of RSS also held discussions about the current situation in Manipur.
“The situation in Manipur is concerning…The government has to take a decision to resolve the situation and the Sangh is working with all communities,” said Vaidya.
On the controversy over statements related to ‘Sanatan Dharm’, the RSS leader said it was merely political. “Sanatan Dharma does not mean religion. Sanatan civilization is a spiritual democracy. Those who make statements about Sanatan should first understand the meaning of this word,” Vaidya said.
Talking about reservation for SCs and STs, he said, “The opinion of the Sangh is that they should get reservation upheld by the Constitution and this social inequality has to be addressed soon.”
“After 2014, Bharat is slowly rising to its cultural identity. There are major changes taking place in its foreign policy, defence policy, and education policy,” said Vaidya. (ANI) 
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