Trinamool Congress MP Ritabrata Banerjee on Tuesday reiterated in the Rajya Sabha the demand to rename the state of West Bengal as Bangla.
“It is a longstanding demand and on July 26, 2018, the state (Bengal) Assembly under the leadership of chief minister Mamata Banerjee passed a resolution to change the name of West Bengal to Bangla. She also elaborated in her letter to the Prime Minister that the name is in consonance with the history, culture and identity of the state,” Banerjee said in the Upper House.
He pointed out that the state had got the name "West Bengal" during the Partition in 1947. “While the other side was named East Pakistan, our side got the name West Bengal. After the Bangladesh liberation war, there is no existence of East Pakistan. Why should we carry the name 'West Bengal' then?” asked the MP.
“It is incumbent upon the Centre to respect the proposal and the mandate of the people of Bengal and meet the demand,” he added.
Mamata had several times pressed for the change in the state’s name, arguing that there was no point in adding the word “West” to the name. She pointed out that the Centre had changed the names of some states and cities, ranging from Mumbai (Bombay) to Odisha (Orissa).
“We will keep on harping on the issue unless the central government makes a move. There is no reason for not changing our state's name," Ritabrata said over the phone.
Sikkim road woes
Indra Hang Subba, the lone Lok Sabha member from Sikkim, said on Tuesday that the Centre should take steps to improve road connectivity in the Himalayan state that shares borders with China, Nepal and Bhutan.
Subba, while speaking in the Parliament, said poor connectivity in the state was affecting the implementation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ project.
“The Make in India project has been taken to develop the country. But because of poor road connectivity, Sikkim is not getting its benefits,” he said.
The MP also expressed concern over the precarious condition of NH10, the principal highway that connects Sikkim with the rest of the country.
“NH10 is in a shambles. Also, the roads leading to north Sikkim (to the Indo-Sino border) and those near the Nepal border are in bad conditions and need proper restoration. Keeping in mind the issue of national security, I would like to request the central government to improve road connectivity of these bordering areas,” said Subba.
