Kerala Becoming Keralam Sparks Political Row

The Union Cabinet’s approval to officially rename Kerala as “Keralam” has ignited a nationwide political debate, with questions emerging over cultural identity, symbolism and political timing ahead of the state’s upcoming Assembly elections.

The proposal, first passed by the Kerala Assembly in June 2024 and backed by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, seeks to align the English name of the state with its Malayalam pronunciation, reported the Times of India.

If cleared by Parliament under Article 3 of the Constitution, the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, will amend the First Schedule of the Constitution to reflect the new name across all official languages.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has described the move as one that reflects the “cultural pride and aspirations of the people”, while Bharatiya Janata Party leaders have framed it as a long-overdue acknowledgement of linguistic identity.

However, Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram Shashi Tharoor has raised both historical and practical concerns about the change. Citing references from Sanskrit epics, Tamil texts and Ashokan edicts dating back to the 2nd century BC, Mr Tharoor pointed out that the name “Kerala” is actually older than “Keralam”, which he said emerged only around the 11th century.

“The irony is that while people believe they are reviving an ancient name, ‘Kerala’ has far greater antiquity,” Mr Tharoor remarked in an interview, questioning whether the move risks replacing a historically rooted identity with one that is linguistically modern.

He also struck a lighter note on the implications of the renaming. “Kerala lends itself fairly easily to ‘Keralite’ or ‘Keralan’. But what now? ‘Keralamite’ sounds like a bad intestinal microbe, while ‘Keralamian’ resembles a rare-earth mineral,” he quipped, while reiterating that the state’s pressing developmental needs should take precedence over symbolic exercises.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, while congratulating Kerala, used the moment to renew her criticism of the Centre for failing to approve her government’s long-pending proposal to rename West Bengal as “Bangla”, reported NDTV.

“Since there is no East Bengal now, the term ‘West’ is redundant,” Ms Banerjee said, alleging political bias in the Centre’s approach. She claimed that her government has repeatedly raised the issue with Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, but received no response.

“I think they are not approving it because they are anti-Bengali. They only remember the word ‘Bangla’ during elections,” she added.

The Central government has previously cited concerns that the proposed name could create confusion internationally due to its similarity with neighbouring Bangladesh, as well as the complexity involved in updating records across various administrative departments.

With Assembly elections due in both Kerala and West Bengal this year, the renaming debate has evolved into a broader political contest – balancing cultural symbolism against governance priorities. While supporters view the move as a restoration of linguistic authenticity, critics argue that nomenclature alone has limited economic or administrative impact.

As the proposal moves towards parliamentary consideration, the question remains whether the shift from Kerala to Keralam marks a meaningful assertion of identity – or merely a symbolic gesture in an election year.