Indore, Sep 22 (PTI) The mayor-in-council of Indore in Madhya Pradesh on Friday cleared a proposal in a meeting to replace 'India' with 'Bharat' at its functions and in its correspondence, officials said.

The proposal, which was cleared by Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava, will now be placed before the 85-member house of the Indore Municipal Corporation, which is likely to meet next month to give its approval, officials informed.

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"Naming the country as India was a gift from the British, whereas addressing it as Bharat reflects our rich historical and cultural heritage. Even as per the Constitution, the name of our country is Bharat," Bhargava told PTI.

Over the past few weeks, there has been speculation in several quarters that the Union government is contemplating to change the name of the country from 'India' to 'Bharat'.

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Several experts have maintained that both names Bharat and India, mentioned in Article 1 of the Constitution as 'India, that is Bharat...' are part of the country's heritage and "completely legitimate".

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)