Kolkata: A fresh political debate has emerged after the Union government approved the renaming of Kerala as ‘Keralam’, prompting West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to question why her state’s proposal to change its name to ‘Bangla’ remains pending.
Reacting to the development, Banerjee congratulated the people of Kerala for asserting their cultural identity but expressed disappointment that a similar demand from West Bengal has not received clearance from the Centre.
Mamata Raises Long-Pending Demand
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) government had passed a resolution in the West Bengal Assembly in July 2018 seeking to rename the state as ‘Bangla’. The proposal was forwarded to the Union government multiple times, but no final approval has been granted so far.
Banerjee said that despite repeated efforts, the matter has seen no progress. She argued that the demand reflects the linguistic and cultural identity of the people of Bengal and should not face indefinite delays.
She also remarked that the existing name places the state lower in alphabetical order during official meetings, leading to procedural inconveniences. According to her, the renaming is both a matter of identity and administrative practicality.
TMC Targets BJP Leadership
The issue quickly escalated politically, with the All India Trinamool Congress accusing the Centre of ignoring Bengal’s legitimate demand. In a strongly worded post on X, the party criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, alleging selective treatment of states.
The TMC claimed that while it welcomes any state’s effort to reaffirm its identity, Bengal’s proposal should not be sidelined due to political differences. The party accused the BJP leadership of showing bias and failing to respect Bengal’s language and heritage.
Identity Politics Back in Focus
The approval of ‘Keralam’ has reignited discussions around state identity and federal relations. Supporters of the ‘Bangla’ proposal argue that the new name would better represent the cultural and linguistic roots of the region. Critics, however, believe such changes require wider consensus and careful administrative planning.
As of now, the Centre has not issued a fresh statement regarding West Bengal’s pending request. The matter is likely to remain a key political issue as tensions between the state government and the BJP-led Union government continue.
