West Bengal’ is just a step away from being ‘Bengal’ or ‘Bangla’ or for that matter ‘Bangal’.
Notwithstanding Opposition from the left, the Congress and the BJP, the members of the ruling Trinamool Congress overwhelmingly voted in favour of rechristening Paschimbanga or West Bengal even as the Assembly on Monday got rid of a British legacy and passed the resolution to rename India’s only renaissance State. Almost seven decades after Independence.
Acting quickly in its wake, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who delivered a lengthy speech in the House favouring her decision, called up Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and requested his assistance to get an early nod from the Union Cabinet.
While the Congress walked out and the left demanded sending of the proposal to a select committee resolution was put to vote. Assembly sources said 194 members voted for the proposal. Following a Central clearance West Bengal will now be called ‘Bengal’ in English, ‘Bangla’ in Bengali and ‘Bangal’ in Hindi.
The proposal was approved by the special session of the West Bengal Assembly, which was convened on August 26 to discuss the renaming of the State.
Soon after the resolution was passed Banerjee said “West Bengal will be Bangla and Bengal. We have taken the decision. The Centre had already been informed about this and we will be happy if the Union Parliament respects our sentiment by passing it in the next session.” Attacking “those who have tried to resist the move” the Chief Minister said “history will never forgive those who resisted this move” and reminded “the left had tried to change the name of the State but failed and now they are opposing the move.”
Reacting to the Congress’ walk-over she said “the Congress has nowadays merged with the left and so they are towing their line.”
The renaming is prompted by the procedural handicap West Bengal had to face for decades during inter-state meetings when its turn to speak came in the end (alphabetically) by when the listeners, that is the Union Government representatives including the ministers had lost their interest.
“Bengal suffered both financially and otherwise on account of this name so this one reason to change it,” said Partha Chatterjee State Education Minister adding people of the State would benefit from the Monday’s development.
The Monday’s decision evoked mixed response with writer Sirshendu Mukherjee welcoming it saying “since there is no East Bengal there is no justification of West Bengal.” He added the move only reinstated the history and did not change it.
However refusing to buy the “logic of alphabets” another writer refusing to share his name said “if tomorrow all other states start assuming new names to compete alphabetically then it will be a problem. What if Uttar Pradesh which comes almost last calls itself Apna Uttar Pradesh.”