The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Tuesday (February 4) reiterated its demand to rename West Bengal as ‘Bangla.’
Raising the issue during Zero Hour in the Rajya Sabha, TMC MP Ritabrata Banerjee pointed out that the West Bengal Assembly had unanimously passed a resolution for the name change in July 2018. However, the Centre has yet to approve it, news agency PTI reported.
He mentioned that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to consider the renaming, stating that it aligns with the aspirations of the people of the state.
Banerjee highlighted the historical context, recalling the partition of Bengal in 1947, which led to the creation of West Bengal in India and East Pakistan. Following Bangladesh’s independence in 1971, the name ‘East Pakistan’ ceased to exist.
“Our state’s name needs to be changed. The mandate of the people of West Bengal needs to be honoured,” PTI quoted him as saying.
The last instance of a state being renamed was in 2011 when Orissa became Odisha.
Several major cities have also undergone name changes over the years—Bombay became Mumbai in 1995, Madras was renamed Chennai in 1996, Calcutta changed to Kolkata in 2001, and Bangalore was rebranded as Bengaluru in 2014.
Raising the issue during Zero Hour in the Rajya Sabha, TMC MP Ritabrata Banerjee pointed out that the West Bengal Assembly had unanimously passed a resolution for the name change in July 2018. However, the Centre has yet to approve it, news agency PTI reported.
He mentioned that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to consider the renaming, stating that it aligns with the aspirations of the people of the state.
Banerjee highlighted the historical context, recalling the partition of Bengal in 1947, which led to the creation of West Bengal in India and East Pakistan. Following Bangladesh’s independence in 1971, the name ‘East Pakistan’ ceased to exist.
“Our state’s name needs to be changed. The mandate of the people of West Bengal needs to be honoured,” PTI quoted him as saying.
The last instance of a state being renamed was in 2011 when Orissa became Odisha.
Several major cities have also undergone name changes over the years—Bombay became Mumbai in 1995, Madras was renamed Chennai in 1996, Calcutta changed to Kolkata in 2001, and Bangalore was rebranded as Bengaluru in 2014.
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