Amid India’s “Bharat” Debate, the UN confirms that name change requests are being considered

The recent issue involving President Droupadi Murmu’s G20 dinner invites has been clarified by the UN, which reaffirmed its policy of taking country requests into consideration. Farhan Haq, the deputy spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, used the recent name change of Turkey to Turkiye as an example.

“Well, in the case of Turkiye, we complied with a formal request made to us by the Government,” Haq said. Naturally, if we get demands like that, we take them into consideration when they are received,” PTI said when asked about stories speculating that India may change its name to Bharat.

This problem first surfaced when President Murmu’s invitations to a G20 luncheon referred to her as “President of Bharat” rather of the more formal “President of India,” which sparked a contentious discussion inside India’s political system. The Narendra Modi administration was accused by the opposition of considering changing the name of India to Bharat.

During his conversation with the Union Council of Ministers, Prime Minister Modi brought up the subject and advised them to stay away from the political scuffle around the Bharat issue. He emphasized the term Bharat’s historical importance as a nod to the nation’s distant past.

In order to guarantee the ease and comfort of visiting guests, Modi gave his ministers instructions to stay in the national capital and complete their assigned tasks in advance of the next G20 conference. On September 9 and 10, the G20 Summit will be held in New Delhi, with the participation of several international leaders, including US Vice President Joe Biden.