India is accepted name for our country, changing it to 'Bharat' not required: CM Siddaramaiah

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said ‘India’ is an accepted word for the country, and attempts now to change it to ‘Bharat’ is not required.

He also pointed out that the word India is incorporated in the Constitution, and it is called the ‘Constitution of India’.

The chief minister was reacting to controversy that has erupted after a G20 dinner invite in the name of ‘President of Bharat’ went viral.

”In our Constitution, it (‘India’) is incorporated and it is called the ‘Constitution of India’. ‘India’ is an accepted word for our country. Making it Bharat, I don’t think it is required,” Siddaramaiah told reporters here.

The G20 dinner invite, issued in the name of ‘The President of Bharat’, is being widely shared on social media, amid opposition parties alleging that the government is trying to change the name of the country from ‘India’ to ‘Bharat’.

The invitation is for Saturday at 8 pm at Bharat Mandapam, the venue for the G20 summit.