West Bengal To Be Renamed ‘Paschim Banga’, Says BJP’s Samik Bhattacharya

West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya on Wednesday said the state government would introduce a bill in the Assembly’s first session to rename West Bengal “Paschim Banga”.

“How many times must I say, brother? The name will be 'Paschim Banga',” news agency ANI quoted him as saying when reporters asked about the proposed change.

Bhattacharya said the choice of name was intended to preserve the state’s historical identity, rejecting alternatives such as “Bangla” and “Banga” that the previous Trinamool Congress government had proposed.

Bill Planned For First Assembly Session

The BJP state chief said the government would move the legislation soon.

“Very soon, in the very first session itself, our government is introducing a bill so that the name of this state remains intrinsically linked with the history of this state, and that remains its identity. That is why the state is going to be named 'Paschim Banga',” he said.

Speaking in Jalpaiguri on Tuesday, Bhattacharya said the proposed name would be used in both Bengali and English. He had previously raised the demand in the Rajya Sabha, seeking the use of “Paschimbanga” across languages.

“The name will be 'Paschimbanga' whether in Bengali or English. That is, The state government is bringing a bill, and 'Paschimbanga' will be established as soon as possible,” he said.

Bhattacharya Cites State’s Political History

Bhattacharya linked the proposal to the views of Syama Prasad Mookerjee and Acharya Debaprasad Ghosh, saying the state’s political history should remain part of its name.

“West Bengal exists. This demand is not merely that of Shamik Bhattacharya or Suvendu Adhikari, nor is it solely the demand of Bharatiya Janata Party workers. Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee and later Debaprasad Ghosh, during his tenure as Acharya, also held the view that this history must not be forgotten,” he said.

Referring to the legislative vote of June 20, 1947, he said Congress’s Hindu MLAs had supported the proposal for West Bengal.

The Trinamool Congress government had earlier pursued a change in the state’s name, with then chief minister Mamata Banerjee arguing that “West Bengal” placed the state near the end of alphabetical lists at national meetings.

The Assembly passed a resolution backing a name change, but the proposal did not receive the Centre’s approval. Bhattacharya has ruled out the names pursued under that government, saying the BJP government would proceed with “Paschim Banga”.