Chhattisgarh Labourer Named ‘Rashtrapati’ Draws Attention of President’s Secretariat

Raipur | Correspondent: A man named ‘Rashtrapati’ (President of India) in a remote village in Chhattisgarh has become the focus of an unusual debate over the use of constitutional titles as personal names. The matter has reached the President’s Secretariat, with a Congress leader seeking a clear legal policy to regulate the use of names such as President, Prime Minister and Chief Minister for individuals.

Rashtrapati, a daily-wage labourer from Ghutra village in Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur (MCB) district, said he was surprised to learn that his name had attracted attention all the way to Delhi. While official records carry his name as Rashtrapati, villagers commonly call him ‘Rajpati’.

“I feel a little awkward about my name because I am a labourer by profession, yet it is such a big name,” he said.

According to Rashtrapati, his parents gave him the name. He earns his livelihood through daily-wage work and supports his family with his earnings. Despite the unusual name, it has remained unchanged in his official documents, including his school records and bank passbook.

A Name Recorded in School Registers in 1988
The school admission register at Primary School Ghutra reportedly records his name as Rashtrapati on July 14, 1988. The name has continued to appear in official documents ever since, even as people in the village have adopted the more familiar form, Rajpati.

The case came to wider attention after Saurav Mishra, president of the Block Congress Committee in Manendragarh city, raised an objection to the use of a constitutional title as an individual's name.

Mishra wrote separately to the President of India and the Prime Minister, seeking clear rules governing the use of terms such as ‘Rashtrapati’, ‘Pradhan Mantri’, ‘Mukhyamantri’, ‘Rajyapal’ and ‘Bharat’ as personal names.

His petition calls for a clearly defined policy and legal provisions to prevent the use of such constitutional titles as personal names in the future.

President’s Secretariat Refers Petition to Central Authorities
According to a communication from the President’s Secretariat, the petition was forwarded on September 17, 2026, to the Union Home Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Joint Secretary in the Department of Legal Affairs for further action.

The petition had originally been submitted to the President on August 8, 2026. The communication asked the concerned authorities to examine the matter and inform the petitioner directly about the action taken.

A process is also reportedly underway at the Prime Minister’s Office.

The referral marks an official step in the handling of the complaint, though it does not, by itself, establish that any law restricting such personal names has been proposed or approved.

For the man at the centre of the controversy, however, the name remains a part of everyday life—one that began with his parents’ choice and has now drawn the attention of the country’s highest constitutional office.