Samik Bhattacharya, the BJP state chief, said the renaming reflects a legacy that dates back to the 1947 formation of West Bengal, where Congress MLAs had accepted the name in June 1947.
Bhattacharya recalled that he had raised the same issue in the Rajya Sabha, citing Syama Prasad Mookerjee and Acharya Debaprasad Ghosh as pioneers who argued the state’s name should echo its historic roots.
He stressed that the demand is not solely his or the BJP’s; it echoes long‑standing sentiments voiced by prominent leaders in the past.
The Trinamool Congress, led by Mamata Banerjee, once pushed to rename the state to ‘Banga’ or ‘Bangla’, a proposal that saw a bill pass in the Assembly but never receive approval from the Centre.
With the bill now tabled, the state government will seek a vote in the Legislative Assembly, after which it will approach the central government for formal recognition of the new name.