Mamata Banerjee Terms Central Government as Anti-Bengali for Denying West Bengal's Name Change to Bangla

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee congratulated Kerala as the Union cabinet approved the state to rename itself as Keralam, but she also expressed frustration over the central government's refusal to allow a similar change for her state.

She claimed that the denial was due to an alleged anti-Bengali stance by the ruling BJP government.

Banerjee said that she has repeatedly brought up the matter during meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, but no progress has been made.

"To my astonishment, there has been no response," she said. She claimed that the lack of approval was actually because of the disrespect toward Bengal's cultural figures and pioneers.

She further stated that the term 'Bangla' is only invoked by the central leadership during election campaigns for political gain, without any genuine commitment.

Mamata Banerjee further said that she was committed to the name change and said that it will occur once the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is out of power at the centre.

The decision on Kerala's renaming came ahead of the state's assembly elections, after the local legislature had already adopted a resolution to update official records.

Banerjee drew a parallel to her own efforts, noting that West Bengal's assembly has passed resolutions on two occasions to rename the state as Bangla, in line with its cultural heritage. However, these initiatives have not received the Centre's approval.

She further suspected that Kerala's successful bid might be linked to an emerging partnership between the BJP and the Communist Party of India (Marxist), which governs Kerala. "This alliance is no longer unspoken after today's developments," Banerjee said, questioning why West Bengal continues to face such disparities. She added that the state would eventually secure the name change in a post-BJP era.

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