New Delhi: The United Nations is ready to ‘change India’s name to Bharat in UN records’. However, it will only be done after the government completes all the formalities for the change in name to ‘Bharat’, a UN spokesperson said Friday here. “When India completes the formalities to change the name, they will inform us and we will change the name at the UN (records),” United Nations Secretary General’s chief spokesperson Stephane Dujarric was quoted as saying by ‘NDTV.com’.
The controversy regarding the change in name from India to ‘Bharat’ erupted when the dinner invitation from President Droupadi Murmu to foreign leaders attending the G20 summit this weekend was sent out. In the invitation letter it was written ‘President of Bharat’. The Opposition created a huge furore over the change in protocol as usually invitation letters are sent in the name of ‘President of India’.
Dujarric however, clarified that the UN wants to stay clear of any debates and controversies. “It’s not for the UN to comment on the debate,” Dujarric stated.
“As long as the formalities are done, the UN will change the name too. It’s a bureaucratic issue when it comes to what the UN needs to do,” Dujarric added.
India will not be the first country if, at all, the name change happens. There’s a long list of countries that have changed their names due to political, social, or other reasons, the UN spokesperson pointed out.
The UN official also cited the example of Turkey changing its name to ‘Turkiye’ last year and said ‘history has shown that it has happened a number of times for several countries’.
The Opposition has accused the Centre of planning to drop India and stay with just ‘Bharat’ as the country’s name. Several ministers and BJP leaders have said there need not be any controversy as ‘Bharat’ has been ‘in use from time immemorial’.
