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Amid the row over 'Bharat' vs 'India', Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that emotional issues were being raked up ahead of state assembly elections in 2023 and the Lok Sabha elections in 2024.
'As the elections are approaching, emotional issues are being raked up', CM said while addressing media in Karnataka's Madhugiri. CM also said that the Constitution of the country was adopted on November 26, 1949. 'Since then it has been known as India. What is the need to change it now,' he said. He said that even in the preamble of the Constitution, we have said, 'We the citizens of India' There is no need to rename India'. Responding to a statement made by Home Minister G Parameshwar on Hinduism, the CM said that religion does not discriminate, be it Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism or Buddhism. He said every religion says that ' Dayave Dharmada Moola'- (Kindness is the root of religion). The controversy was triggered after the invitation for the G20 dinner was sent out in the name of the President of 'Bharat' and not India. The row erupted over the issue of India and Bharat with the members of the Opposition INDIA bloc from the Congress to TMC, DMK to AAP alleging it was an attempt by the rattled BJP to divide people and later linked to the formation of their alliance. The debate started after Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan shared on X, formerly Twitter, a G20 dinner invite in which Droupadi Murmu was described as the 'President of Bharat'. Notably, this is the first time that the government has used the 'Republic of Bharat' instead of India on an official invitation. A government booklet on PM Modis upcoming visit to Indonesia for the ASEAN-India Summit also refers to him as the Prime Minister of Bharat. (ANI)
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