BJP's Samik Bhattacharya seeks renaming of West Bengal as ‘Paschim Banga’

New Delh: The debate over renaming Kerala as Keralam on Wednesday opened a fresh political front over West Bengal's identity, with BJP Rajya Sabha member Samik Bhattacharya demanding that the state be renamed 'Paschim Banga'.

Speaking during the Rajya Sabha debate on the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, Bhattacharya welcomed the proposed change, saying the people of Kerala had struggled for decades for the name Keralam. He congratulated the people of Keralam and credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for facilitating the move.

Bhattacharya then turned the discussion towards West Bengal, arguing that the state's present name is rooted in the circumstances of its creation in 1947.

'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.

Aiming at the previous Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal, the BJP MP alleged that there had been attempts to rename the state simply as Bengal because the party had a majority in the state Assembly.

Bhattacharya argued that replacing West Bengal with Bengal would disregard the history associated with the state's creation and the political struggle surrounding Partition.

'West Bengal is not just a name; it has a history. We want the name to be changed to Paschim Banga,' he said.

The BJP MP also brought the contentious issue of 'Vande Mataram' into his intervention, saying Bengal had witnessed both the birth of the song and opposition to it.

Bhattacharya's demand came during a wider discussion on changing historical place names.

Rashtriya Lok Morcha member Upendra Kushwaha backed the Kerala renaming Bill and sought a similar change for Bihar's capital, saying Patna should be renamed Patliputra to reflect its historical legacy.

He also raised the issue of renaming the railway station in Nalanda district currently known as Bakhtiyarpur.

Kushwaha said Patliputra had once served as the capital of an ancient and prosperous empire and expressed hope that the demand would receive expeditious consideration.

TDP member Vijay Chintakayala, CPI(M)'s AA 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 LK Sudhish also participated in the debate.

Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale and Minister of State for Tourism Suresh Gopi also took part in the discussion.