NEW DELHI: In his inaugural address of the G20 summit on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the African Union has been granted permanent member status in the Group of 20 top world economies.
“I invite the representative of the African Union to take his place as a permanent member of the G20,” PM Modi said while welcoming current AU chair, Comoros President Azali Assoumani.
Interestingly, PM Modi addressed the G20 delegates from behind a placard that read “Bharat” and not India.
The debate over whether the government is planning to change/substitute India with “Bharat” was triggered by a dinner invite sent to the G20 delegates.
In the dinner invite, President Droupadi Murmu was referred to as “President of Bharat.”
The government has used ‘Bharat’, a name used in the Constitution for the country along with India, in several official G20 documents. Official sources have said it is a conscious decision.
However, it was not the first time that the government used Bharat in official communications. Recently, PM Modi used ‘Prime Minister of Bharat’ during his trips to South Africa and Greece.
The ruling BJP has cheered the use of Bharat, citing the ancient Hindi name’s cultural roots. Some leaders claimed the English name ‘India’ is a colonial legacy.
The party has, however, largely avoided getting into the ‘Bharat vs India’ debate with its leaders noting that the Constitution uses both names for the country.
“I invite the representative of the African Union to take his place as a permanent member of the G20,” PM Modi said while welcoming current AU chair, Comoros President Azali Assoumani.
Interestingly, PM Modi addressed the G20 delegates from behind a placard that read “Bharat” and not India.
The debate over whether the government is planning to change/substitute India with “Bharat” was triggered by a dinner invite sent to the G20 delegates.
In the dinner invite, President Droupadi Murmu was referred to as “President of Bharat.”
The government has used ‘Bharat’, a name used in the Constitution for the country along with India, in several official G20 documents. Official sources have said it is a conscious decision.
However, it was not the first time that the government used Bharat in official communications. Recently, PM Modi used ‘Prime Minister of Bharat’ during his trips to South Africa and Greece.
The ruling BJP has cheered the use of Bharat, citing the ancient Hindi name’s cultural roots. Some leaders claimed the English name ‘India’ is a colonial legacy.
The party has, however, largely avoided getting into the ‘Bharat vs India’ debate with its leaders noting that the Constitution uses both names for the country.
