Will accept India's name change after formalities are completed: UN
The United Nations (UN) will change India's name to Bharat in its records once New Delhi completes all necessary processes, a spokesperson for the intergovernmental organization told NDTV. On Thursday, the organization also said that it considers requests from countries to change their names as and when it receives them, citing the example of Turkey changing its name to "Turkiye" in 2022.
Why does this story matter?
Controversy erupted in the Indian political circuit earlier this week after President Droupadi Murmu extended G20 dinner invitations under the title "President of Bharat" rather than the conventional "President of India." The development fanned speculation that the country's name could be changed to "Bharat" during the special session of Parliament scheduled for September 18 to 22.
UN refuses to comment on debate
"When India completes the formalities to change the name, they will inform us and we will change the name at the UN (records)," UN Secretary-General's Chief Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said. However, Dujarric refused to comment on the ongoing debate surrounding the name change. This development came on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Delhi, which will take place over the weekend.
Avoid commenting on India v/s Bharat: Modi
Amid the controversy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi convened a meeting on Wednesday to prepare for the upcoming G20 Summit. He urged ministers to avoid getting into debates on India v/s Bharat. This comment has stoked even more suspicion as many speculate that the special session of Parliament may have been called for the name change, given how the session was announced abruptly.
Government resorting to 'diversion tactics': Rahul Gandhi
Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who had been silent on the subject until Friday, lambasted the government over the name change controversy, saying it was afraid of the opposition alliance and resorted to "diversion tactics." "The phrase, 'India, that is Bharat' works perfectly for me. It represents who we are. These are distraction tactics," he said at a press conference in Brussels, Belgium.
Countries that have changed names
It is worth mentioning that country name changes are not unusual. Many have changed their names for political, social, or other reasons. Aside from Turkey, countries that have changed their names with the UN are the Czech Republic, Holland, Ceylon, Burma, and Persia, among many others. They are now known as Czechia, the Netherlands, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Iran.
