The Centre informed the West Bengal government that it had not cleared its 2018 proposal to change the name of the state to ‘Bangla’, prompting chief minister Mamata Banerjee to dash off a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to “accept the wishes of the people” and expedite the renaming process.
This is the fourth time that West Bengal’s name change request has been rejected. Earlier proposals were made in 1999, 2011 and 2016.
In a written response to a question from Rajya Sabha MP Ritabrata Banerjee, junior home minister Nityanand Rai said, “Change in the name of a state requires constitutional amendment after taking into consideration all relevant factors.”
A change in a state’s name requires a constitution amendment bill to be passed in Parliament by a simple majority. Changes in Schedule 1 of the Indian Constitution, which lists the states and Union territories, is made after the President’s assent.
The Bengal assembly had on 26th July, 2018 passed a resolution to change the state’s name to ‘Bangla’. The resolution was then sent to the Union home ministry for approval.
Media had in 2018 reported that the Centre objected to the name ‘Bangla’ citing its similarity with ‘Bangladesh. According to sources, the name’s similarity would make it difficult to differentiate between the two at international events.
In her letter to the PM on Wednesday, Mamata also urged him to get the amendment done in the current session of Parliament.
She states, “This rechristening will be in consonance with the history, culture and identity of our state and will reflect the aspirations of our people.”
Centre rejects Bengal’s name change request
