New Delhi, Feb 4 (PTI) – The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Tuesday reiterated its demand to rename West Bengal as 'Bangla,' emphasizing that the name better reflects the state’s historical and cultural heritage.
Raising the issue during Zero Hour in the Rajya Sabha, TMC MP Ritabrata Banerjee reminded the House that the West Bengal Assembly had unanimously passed a resolution for the name change in July 2018. However, the proposal is yet to receive approval from the Centre.
Banerjee highlighted that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asserting that the renaming would align with the state’s history, culture, and identity while fulfilling the aspirations of its people.
Tracing the roots of the name, he recalled that the 1947 Partition led to the division of Bengal, with the Indian portion named West Bengal and the other side becoming East Pakistan. However, with East Pakistan gaining independence in 1971 to form Bangladesh, the term "West Bengal" no longer holds relevance. “Our state's name needs to be changed. The mandate of the people of West Bengal needs to be honored,” he said.
The last instance of a state name change occurred in 2011 when Orissa was officially renamed Odisha. Over the years, several cities have undergone similar changes, including Bombay to Mumbai (1995), Madras to Chennai (1996), Calcutta to Kolkata (2001), and Bangalore to Bengaluru (2014).
Other Key Issues Raised in Rajya Sabha
Apart from the renaming demand, other pressing issues were brought up in the Upper House:- National Festival Status for Bali Jatra: BJD MP Debashish Samantaray urged the Centre to grant national festival status to Bali Jatra, an annual festival held on the banks of the Mahanadi River. The festival commemorates ancient maritime trade between Odisha and regions like Bali, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, and Sri Lanka.
- Passing Ethanol Benefits to Consumers: TMC MP Saket Gokhale called for ensuring that the cost benefits of blending ethanol in petrol are passed down to consumers.
- Dredging of River Barak for Trade: TMC’s Sushmita Dev stressed the need for dredging the Barak River in Assam to facilitate the movement of goods through waterways.
- Water Conservation Measures: BJP MP Kavita Patidar urged the implementation of groundwater recharging techniques to tackle flooding in railway underpasses.
- AIIMS in Kozhikode: Nominated MP and former athlete PT Usha advocated for setting up an AIIMS hospital at Kinaloor in Kerala’s Kozhikode district.
- Impact of Climate Change on Agriculture: BJP’s S Selvaganabathy raised concerns over erratic weather patterns affecting crop yields and urged the government to introduce climate-resilient seed varieties to mitigate farmers' losses.
