The Indian government's use of the term "Bharat" instead of "India" in official invitations for the G20 summit has sparked controversy and debate over the country's identity and historical associations.
The Congress party alleges that the Modi government is undermining the unity of the country by referring to the President as "President of Bharat" in a G20 dinner invite, sparking concerns that the government may remove the name 'India' and recognize 'Bharat' as the official name of the country.
The invitations to a state dinner to mark India’s hosting of this year’s G20 have led to speculation about a possible renaming of the country, with some suggesting that the ruling BJP is responding to opposition parties adopting the acronym INDIA and that there is a push to change the name due to its association with colonial slavery.
India's main opposition leader, Rahul Gandhi, has criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi's plans to change the country's name from India to Bharat as "absurd," calling it a diversion tactic amid controversy over financial violations by billionaire Gautam Adani and allegations of human rights abuses.
India successfully used its G20 presidency to showcase its rising power status, bridge the gap between the West and the Global South, and highlight Prime Minister Modi's leadership, but the summit itself did not deliver concrete outcomes on key issues such as climate change and multilateral development bank reform.
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