Bharat Replaces India In PM Modi's Nameplate At G20 Summit

Amid row over the name change of India to Bharat, the nameplate kept before Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the G20 Summit read 'Bharat' instead of India.

The two-day G20 Summit was kicked off on Saturday at the Bharat Mandapam at the Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. At the summit, the Prime Minister has been identified as the leader representing 'Bharat'.

Dinner invitations sent out by the Rashtrapati Bhawan to delegates and dignitaries attending the G20 Summit were in the name of President of Bharat, which triggered a political storm with the opposition alleging that the government was planning to drop the name India.

Speaking at the G20 Summit, Prime Minister on Saturday said, "The 21st century is an important time to show the world a new direction. This is the time when old problems are seeking new challenges from us and that is why we should move ahead fulfilling our responsibilities with a human-centric approach...If we can defeat COVID-19, we can also triumph over the trust deficit caused by the war"

India's G20 presidency has become a symbol of inclusion, of 'sabka saath' both inside and outside the country, he stated. He added, "This has become people's G20 in India. Crores of Indians are connected to this. In more than 60 cities of the country, more than 200 meetings have taken place. With the sense of 'Sabka Saath', India had proposed that the African Union be granted permanent membership of G20. I believe that all of us agree to this proposal."

Meanwhile, The United Nations has stated that it will change India's name to Bharat in its records once New Delhi completes all the necessary formalities, a spokesperson for the global body told NDTV today. United Nations Secretary-General's chief spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, explained, "When India completes the formalities to change the name, they will inform us, and we will change the name in the UN records."

Dujarric, speaking on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Delhi, remarked, "It's not for the UN to comment on the debate."

He further clarified, "As long as the formalities are completed, the UN will change the name too. It's a bureaucratic matter when it comes to what the UN needs to do."