West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee accused the Centre of ignoring her government’s repeated request to rename the state as ‘Bangla’.
Her remarks came after the Union Cabinet, chaired by Narendra Modi, approved Kerala’s proposal to rename the state as ‘Keralam’.
Banerjee alleged a tacit understanding between the BJP and CPI(M) over the Kerala move and said the West Bengal Assembly had already passed a resolution seeking the name change.
Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister of West Bengal, accused the Center on Tuesday of ignoring her government's repeated demands to rename the state "Bangla."
After the proposal to change Kerala's name to Keralam was approved by the Union Cabinet, which is chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Banerjee made the claim.
She also alleged that an understanding between the CPI(M), the ruling party of the southern state, and the BJP helped in getting a new name for Kerala.
“Kerala has been renamed since there is an alliance growing between the BJP and the CPI(M). The alliance is no longer unwritten after today. Why will Bengal always face deprivation? One day, you (BJP) will not be in power. We will get the name changed,” she said in a statement here.
The chief minister congratulated the people of Kerala after the state got the new name - ‘Keralam’.
"The names of several states are changed once such proposals are endorsed by the respective state governments. However, the same has not been the case with West Bengal,” Banerjee said in the statement.
The Mamata Banerjee government has several times urged the Centre to change the name of the state to ‘Bangla’, and the assembly has adopted a resolution in this regard.
