BJP Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya on Wednesday demanded that West Bengal be renamed Paschim Banga, saying the state’s name is tied to its history and the circumstances of its creation in 1947. He made the demand while taking part in a Rajya Sabha debate on the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, which proposes renaming Kerala as Keralam.
Bhattacharya welcomed the Bill and said the people of the southern state had 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.
During his speech, Bhattacharya criticised attempts to rename West Bengal as Bengal, saying these were made by the previous Trinamool Congress government because it had a majority in the state assembly.
He said, “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 changing the name of West Bengal to Bengal would insult 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.
Bhattacharya also raised the issue of Vande Mataram, saying Bengal had seen 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 backed a demand raised by another NDA member for renaming Bihar’s capital as Patliputra and a railway station in Nalanda district that is currently called Bakhtiyarpur.
During the debate, Rashtriya Lok Morcha member Upendra Kushwaha also sought the renaming of Patna as 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 said he hoped the proposal would be considered quickly.
TDP member Vijay Chintakayala, CPI(M)’s A A 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 L K Sudhish also took part in the debate.
Ministers of State Ramdas Athawale and Suresh Gopi also participated in the discussion, which centred on the proposal to rename Kerala as Keralam and wider demands for changes in place names.
– Ends
Published By:
India Today Web Desk
Published On:
Aug 12, 2026 23:16 IST
