Kerala To Become Keralam, Now BJP MP Wants Bengal Renamed Paschim Banga

BJP Rajya Sabha member Samik Bhattacharya on Wednesday demanded that West Bengal be renamed "Paschim Banga, saying the state's name is linked to its history and the circumstances surrounding its creation in 1947.

Participating in a debate in the Rajya Sabha on the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, which proposes to rename Kerala as Keralam, Bhattacharya welcomed it, saying the people of the southern state have struggled for the change for decades.

He congratulated the people of Keralam and credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for facilitating the move.

Targeting the previous Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal, Bhattacharya said there have been attempts to rename the state as Bengal merely because the party enjoyed a majority in the state assembly.

"West Bengal was born on June 20, 1947, under the leadership of Syama Prasad Mukherjee. Even the Congress had said that for the sake of Bengali Hindus, a separate state was required," he said.

He said changing the name of West Bengal to Bengal would be an insult to those who had fought for a separate state for Bengali Hindus.

"West Bengal is not just a name; it has a history. We want the name to be changed to Paschim Banga," Bhattacharya said.

He also raised the issue of Vande Mataram, saying Bengal has witnessed both its birth and opposition to it.

Referring to CPI founder member Muzaffar Ahmed's autobiography, he said Ahmed had described Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay's Vande Mataram and Anandamath as being full of hatred.

"Vande Mataram and Anandamath are full of hatred. It is unacceptable for a Muslim like me," Bhattacharya said.

He also supported the demand raised by another NDA member for renaming of Bihar's capital as Patliputra and a railway station in Nalanda district currently bearing the name Bakhtiyarpur.

During the debate, Rashtriya Lok Morcha member Upendra Kushwaha also demanded that Patna be renamed Patliputra, saying Bihar has a glorious historical legacy and that Patliputra was once the capital of an ancient and prosperous empire.

Kushwaha supported the Bill and expressed hope that the proposal would receive expeditious consideration.

TDP member Vijay Chintakayala, CPI(M)'s AA Rahim, BJP members Sudhanshu Trivedi and Lahar Singh Siroya, KC(M)'s Jose K Mani, CPI member Sadosh Kumar P, IUML's Harish Beeran, UPP(L)'s R Narzary and DMDK's LK Sudhish also participated in the debate.

Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale and Minister of State for Tourism Suresh Gopi also participated in the discussion.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)