Bengaluru, Sep 6 (IANS): Karnataka IT Minister Priyank Kharge on Wednesday came out strongly against Narendra Modi-led BJP saying that the party assumed power in the Centre claiming to be a "game changer" but has been reduced to a mere ‘name changer’ government.  

He was reacting to the Centre's plan of renaming India as 'Bharat'.

Taking to the social media, Minister Kharge said before 2014, India was competing with developed countries like America, Russia and Britain.

They (BJP) have sown the seeds of hatred between castes and ethnic groups in the name of Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh models. Now, they have created a ‘Manipur model’, he stated.

"What more can be expected from BJP which has brought down the country to compare itself with powerless ones like Pakistan, Bangladesh and Srilanka?" Kharge wondered.

The efficient rulers in Bharat brought changes on ground without changing the names, he taunted.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has said that the Modi-led Central government’s move to rename the country as Bharat is not required.

He maintained that the Constitution mentions the name of the country as India and is a name which is agreed upon by one and all. "There is no need for renaming it," he added.

Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said that "the Central government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, out of fear of our Indian National Democratic Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), are up to changing the name of Republic of

India into Republic of Bharat".

"One can observe that the BJP and Central government are seeing their defeat in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The Indian currency has the name India on it and attempts are made to change it," Shivakumar stated.