Kolkata, February 24 West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday accused the Centre of ignoring her government's repeated requests to change the state's official name to 'Bangla'.
Banerjee's accusation came after the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the proposal to change the name of Kerala to Keralam.
She also alleged that an understanding between the CPI(M), the ruling party of the southern state, and the BJP helped in getting a new name for Kerala.
"Kerala has been renamed because there is an alliance growing between the BJP and the CPI(M). This alliance is no longer unspoken after today. Why should Bengal always be deprived? One day, you (BJP) will not be in power. We will get the name changed," she said in a statement here.
The chief minister congratulated the people of Kerala after the state got the new name - 'Keralam'.
"The names of several states are changed once such proposals are endorsed by the respective state governments. However, this has not been the case with West Bengal," Banerjee said in the statement.
The Mamata Banerjee government has several times urged the Centre to change the name of the state to 'Bangla', and the assembly has adopted a resolution in this regard.