WEST Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Samik Bhattacharya on Wednesday indicated that the State’s name will likely be changed to “Paschim Banga”, asserting preservation of the land’s historical identity. Speaking to reporters, Bhattacharya firmly said, “How many times must I say, brother? The name will be ‘Paschim Banga’.” Earlier on Monday, the State BJP chief had asserted that alternative nomenclature would be done away with, stating that the formal transition to ‘Paschim Banga’ was imminent. “Yes, absolutely. Paschim Banga Bhavan... West Bengal’s ‘Paschim’... For a long time now, you will no longer have to hear names like ‘Paschim Bangla’, ‘Bangla’, or ‘Banga’. ‘Paschim Banga’ (West Bengal) is coming,” Bhattacharya had told reporters.

 

Announcing that a Legislative bill will soon be introduced to anchor the State’s identity to its history, he further said, “Very soon, in the very first session itself, our Government is introducing a bill so that the name of this State remains intrinsically linked with the history of this State, and that remains its identity. That is why the State is going to be named ‘Paschim Banga’.” Beyond the renaming issue, Bhattacharya also spoke on a wide range of political and policy matters, hailing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address marking his 25 years as head of Government.