Letter to BS: Rename West Bengal demand is old wine in new bottle

In 2016, it was reportedly proposed to rename the state as Bengal in English, Bangla in Bengali and Bangal in Hindi but Centre turned it down

Business Standard 

Lok Sabha Elections 2019
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Benerjee during Lok Sabha election campaign in Visakhapatnam, Sunday, March 31, 2019. Photo: PTI

On July 26, 2018, the Assembly had passed a resolution unanimously to change the name of the state as Bangla. In 2011, a suggestion had come to change the name of the state as Paschimbanga. But the suggestion was turned down by the UPA government. In 2016, it was reportedly proposed to rename the state as Bengal in English, Bangla in Bengali and Bangal in Hindi. Finally, the state insisted to change the name as Bangla which was turned down by the Centre recently.

The NDA government is justified in rejecting the proposal as the name is “part and parcel” of Bangladesh. There have been many changes of names of Indian cities. But no government in India has thought of changing the name of India as Bharat. It will be nice to rename India as Bharat.

K V Seetharamiah, Hassan


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Read our full coverage on West Bengal name change
First Published: Mon, July 08 2019. 22:16 IST