West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee criticized the renaming of Kerala, suggesting it was due to a political understanding between the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Banerjee expressed her disappointment that her proposal to rename ‘West Bengal’ as ‘Bangla’ was not approved, despite being passed in the state Assembly multiple times. She emphasized that the name change was proposed considering the state’s culture, history, and philosophy.
Banerjee highlighted the inconvenience caused by the current name when students from West Bengal participate in national-level exams or interviews, as the state’s name starts with ‘W’, placing them towards the end of alphabetical lists. She also mentioned facing similar challenges as the state’s Chief Minister. Banerjee noted that while other state governments’ proposals for name changes were accepted, West Bengal was denied this opportunity.
The Chief Minister congratulated Kerala on its name change and revealed her past efforts to discuss renaming West Bengal with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. Banerjee criticized the Union government, accusing them of being “anti-Bengal” and “anti-Bengali,” claiming they only use the term ‘Bangla’ for electoral gains. She clarified that she had no objections to other states changing their names and emphasized West Bengal’s desire for the same opportunity.
The proposed name change from “West Bengal” to “Bangla” faced opposition from the Union government, citing similarities with Bangladesh. Despite not receiving official endorsement or rejection, the West Bengal government’s proposal for the name change remains pending.
