West Bengal assembly passes resolution proposing name change

Kolkata: The West Bengal Assembly on Monday passed a resolution proposing the name of the state be changed to 'Bangla' in Bengali or 'Bengal' in English. The government resolution under rule 169 - moved by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Partha Chattopdhyay - was passed amidst a walk-out by the Congress and opposition from the Left Front and the BJP. The resolution said the state should be rechristened 'Bangla' in Bengali, 'Bengal' in English and 'Bangal' in Hindi. Backing the motion, state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee referred to the "history and culture" associated with the name Bangla and said she did not have problem with the name Banga also. "But most people prefer Bangla, which is a part of the colloquial language. So we have also accepted it." She said as the state will be called Bengal in English, there won't be any confusion with the neighbouring country Bangladesh. "Moreover, outside the state, we are known as people of Bengal." Later, she told mediapersons that the proposal would be sent to the central government for ratification by Parliament. "I request the Centre to speed up the process and urge them to pass the resolution in the next Parliamentary session," she said. Banerjee also spoke to union Home Minister Rajnath Singh urging him to ensure the proposal was ratified quickly "showing due respect to what the State Assembly has passed." Riled over the opposition not supporting the move, Banerjee said: "They oppose for the sake of opposition. It is a historic blunder on their part. They keep on repeating such mistakes." Responding to a query that the state BJP has warned it would not allow the resolution to be passed by Parliament, she said: "They continue to create obstacles at every step. Who are they? It is a matter between Central and state government." She recalled the state earlier proposed to change the name to Paschim Banga, which was still pending before the central government. "Before the adoption of this resolution, we informed the Centre that the earlier proposal should not be considered and the state will give the details after adopting the fresh resolution in the state assembly," she said.