India's External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar, highlighted the importance of addressing the concerns of the global south in promoting economic growth and development during the B20 Summit, stating that India recognized the absence of the global south's voice in the G20 and took steps to rectify this by convening the Global South Summit.
The Indian government is considering changing the country's name from 'India' to 'Bharat' through a constitutional amendment, which would serve as a symbolic representation of the nation's cultural identity and move away from the colonial legacy.
The Indian government is taking a different approach to the G20 summit, aiming to make it a national endeavor and involve different parts of the country, according to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
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.
Indian President Droupadi Murmu's use of the term "President of Bharat" instead of "President of India" in a dinner invitation for the G20 summit has sparked controversy over the distortion of the country's name.
Critics argue that the use of "Bharat" instead of "India" in a Group of 20 invitation is seen as promoting a Hindu nationalist agenda.
India is hosting the G20 summit as Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeks to establish himself as a global leader, but activist Arundhati Roy criticizes the event as a vanity event for Modi and raises concerns about the treatment of minorities in India.
The G20 reached a consensus and adopted the New Delhi Leaders Summit Declaration, which called for upholding international law, peaceful conflict resolution, and diplomacy.
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.
The G20 summit in New Delhi showcased India's growing economic and geopolitical influence, but also highlighted concerns about the country's Hindu nationalist government and its approach to press freedom as journalists were largely restricted from covering the event.
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.
The G20 summit in India is expected to deliver a group agreement on the need for stricter global regulation on crypto assets, but the underlying fractures and shifting allegiances may render the focus more noise than substance.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) may be planning to rebrand India as "Bharat", a name associated with Hindu nationalism and resentment towards colonial rule, in an attempt to distract from opposition parties and their coalition ahead of the general election in 2024, although implementing the change would be difficult and costly.