West Bengal passes resolution to rename state

Opposition parties accuse chief minister Mamata of being dictatorial

In a special session, West Bengal’ legislative assembly yesterday passed a resolution, renaming the state to Bengal in English and Bangla in Bengali.

What was expected to be a smooth session with an allparty consensus, turned into an ugly spat with opposition members accusing the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and chief minister Mamata Banerjee of being dictatorial.

Congress Party legislators staged a walk out of the House during discussion, even as Communist Party of India — Marxist (CPM) members wanted an amendment to the name change resolution and the Bharatiya Janata Party opposed the resolution. In the end a resolution was passed through a voice vote.

‘Historic blunder’

Banerjee called the attitude of the Opposition a ‘historic blunder’ and said that the people of the state would not forgive them for this.

“Those who did not support us in this, the future won’t forgive them. It will remain as a blot. The Congress party has turned into a frontal organisation of the CPM by opposing everything,” Banerjee told reporters at the legislative assembly here in Kolkata.

Banerjee said her government will urge the union government to pass the resolution through the parliament.

Consent of both houses of parliament is necessary to affect the name change.