On Wednesday, Parliament passed the bill to change the name of Kerala to Keralam. The Rajya Sabha approved the Kerela Bill through a voice vote.
The lok sabha had already passed the bill on Tuesday.
The bill will officially change the name of the state to Keralam and make the required changes to the constitution, including the First Scheduled, where the names of states are listed.
The bill was introduced in Rajya sabha by Minister of State for home affairs Nityanand Ray on behalf of Home minister Amit Shah as he could present himself in the House at the time.
During the discussion, MPs of others states where also welcomed in the decision.
Congress MP Jebi Mather Hisham supported the bill, whereas TMC MP Derek O’ Brien, pointed out that the change in the name of West Bengal to Bangla was still pending for several years.
DMK MP Tiruchi Siva also welcomed the decision and recall the earlier change of Madras to Tamil Nadu. AIADMK MP M. Thambidurai stressed the importance of regional languages and cooperative federalism.
AAP MP Sanjay Singh said that the country should respect its different languages, cultures and states.
In Conclusion, The pass of Kerala Bill is approved, changing Kerala’s name to Keralam, reflecting the Malayalam identity of the state. The decision received support from MPs across political parties, while the discussion also brought attention to other pending demands for renaming states and places. The government said such proposals would be considered according to the established process.
The Bill’s passage now paves the way for the constitutional changes needed to officially recognise Keralam as the state’s new name.
