"Bharat" Takes Center Stage on Nameplate as PM Modi Addresses G20 Summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered the inaugural address at the G20 Summit held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on Saturday. Notably, the nameplate displayed in front of the prime minister bore the inscription 'Bharat' instead of India. This development follows a recent controversy surrounding the shift from India to Bharat in President Droupadi Murmu's dinner invitation to foreign leaders attending the G20 Summit this weekend.

On Friday, the United Nations announced its intention to change India's name to Bharat in UN records once New Delhi completes all the necessary formalities, as confirmed by a spokesperson for the global body. United Nations Secretary General's chief spokesperson Stephane Dujarric informed NDTV, "When India completes the formalities to change the name, they will inform us, and we will update the name in the UN records."

The ongoing debate, which has emerged in anticipation of an upcoming special session of Parliament (the agenda of which is yet to be disclosed), has spurred unverified reports suggesting that a name change may be deliberated and passed during the session. While members of the ruling BJP have proposed that the name Bharat should take precedence over India, opposition leaders have viewed it as a distraction, pointing out that 'Bharat' is already mentioned in the constitution.

However, Prime Minister Modi advised his ministerial colleagues on Wednesday to steer clear of political disputes concerning the 'Bharat' issue, emphasizing that it represents the country's ancient name. The preamble to the English version of the constitution commences with the phrase "We, the people of India…" and subsequently states in Part One of the document, "India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States." In Hindi, the constitution replaces India with Bharat throughout, except in the section defining the country's names, which reads in Hindi, "Bharat, that is India, shall be a Union of States."

To change India's name to exclusively Bharat would necessitate a constitutional amendment, which would require approval by a two-thirds majority in both houses of parliament.