New Delhi: A parliamentary committee headed by Bharatiya Janata Party MP Sushil Kumar Modi has noted in a report that it prefers the phrase ‘Union of India’ instead of ‘Centre’ to denote the government of India at New Delhi – an idea popular with opposition politicians too. A ministry, however, has been less than happy at the suggestion.Controversy over this phrase was thrust into everyday news when in the Lok Sabha debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s speech, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi referred to India as ‘Union of India’.The Bharatiya Janata Party responded to Gandhi saying that India has a “central” government and that states are mere administrative units.While many pointed out that Rahul Gandhi had merely quoted the Indian constitution to emphasise the importance of dialogue and discussion between the Centre and the states, BJP’s Amit Malviya and Tejasvi Surya led an attack against Gandhi that was taken forward by MP Nishikant Dubey, who submitted a privilege violation notice against Gandhi, saying his speech is a “conspiracy to divide the country”.Also read: As CM, Narendra Modi Echoed Rahul Gandhi’s Statement on India as ‘Union of States’ Many TimesThe Tamil Nadu government, under the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party, also refers to the “Centre” as the “Union of India”. This, too, has seen objection from the BJP.The parliamentary committee headed by Sushil Modi has now noted in a report that it is, in fact, “inappropriate” to use the term “Central government,” the Deccan Herald has reported.The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice, tabled its report on Demands for Grants for the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, in the parliament on Thursday, March 24.The committee said that the term “Central government” should be “substituted” by “Union of India” and officials of the three arms – executive, legislature and judiciary – should be, likewise, called “officials of the Union of India”.The Ministry of Personnel, however, appears to have “categorically” told the Committee that such a suggestion is outside of its purview.The Committee has responded that it is “conscious of its own mandate” and that of the ministry’s and is convinced that this recommendation is within the its bounds.In what is a curt answer back, the Committee wrote that it is “unhappy with this disrespectful and inconsiderate response of the Ministry.”“At this juncture, the Committee would like to draw the attention of the Ministry to Part V of the Constitution of India, entitled, ‘THE UNION’, which includes the Union Executive, the Union Legislature and the Union Judiciary. It is clear that the founding fathers of our Constitution treated these three wings as constituents of the UNION,” it said, according to Deccan Herald.With significant edge to its rhetoric, the committee also asked the Ministry “to enlighten it whether the term ‘Central Government’ or ‘Union Government’ was used at the time of framing of the Constitution.”