Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill passed in Lok Sabha amid Oppn protest
New Delhi, Aug 11
The Kerala Bill, 2026, was passed in the Lok Sabha by voice vote on Tuesday amid relentless sloganeering by the Opposition MPs.
This Bill proposes to change the name of the state of Kerala to Keralam.
Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai introduced the Bill in the House even as Opposition MPs continued with their sloganeering, demanding Home Minister Amit Shah's presence and statement over the police action against the NEET protesters on July 20.
Krishna Prasad Tenneti, who was in the Chair, urged the Opposition MPs to let the House run smoothly. However, the din continued.
Nityanand Rai and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju criticised the Opposition for not discussing the Bill to rename Kerala.
"It is sad that even senior Congress leaders like K.C. Venugopal aren't going to speak on the Bill," Rijiju said.
When the ruckus did not stop, the Bill was passed by voice vote without discussion.
Earlier in February this year, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the proposal for alteration of the name of 'Kerala' as 'Keralam'.
Incidentally, the Kerala Assembly passed a resolution on June 24, 2024, to alter the name of "Kerala" to "Keralam", which is as under: "The name of our State is 'Keralam' in the Malayalam Language."
"States were formed on the basis of language on the first day of November 1956. The Kerala Piravi Day is also observed on the first day of November. Since the time of the country's independence struggle, there has been a strong demand for the formation of United Kerala for the people speaking the Malayalam language. However, in the First Schedule to the Constitution, the name of our state is recorded as 'Kerala'. The Kerala Assembly unanimously appeals to the Central government to take urgent steps as per Article 3 of the Constitution for modifying the name as 'Keralam'."
Thereafter, the Kerala government requested the Union government to take necessary steps to amend the First Schedule to the Constitution by altering the name of 'Kerala' to 'Keralam' as per Article 3 of the Constitution.
— IANS
Reader Comments
It's disappointing that this historic decision was passed without any proper discussion in the Parliament. While I support the name change to Keralam, the Opposition's behaviour of constant sloganeering and not allowing the House to function is a disservice to democracy. We need debate, not disruption. 😔
Keralam it is! 🎉 As someone from Bengaluru who visits Kerala often, I can say the locals always referred to it as Keralam. It's good to see the central government respecting the state's linguistic identity. Now let's hope the rest of the Parliament functions smoothly too. Jai Hind!
Interesting move. As an outsider, it seems like a symbolic step towards cultural authenticity. But isn't there a more pressing issue at hand? The NEET protest matter and the Home Minister's absence seem far more critical than renaming a state, especially when it's passed without discussion.
As a Malayali, this is a proud moment! Keralam is what our ancestors called it, and it is what we call it in our mother tongue. The Kerala Assembly unanimously passed this resolution, so there's no dispute. 🙌 But I do wish the Opposition had allowed a proper discussion. Anyway, happy that this is done.
Honestly, I'm a bit surprised. The Opposition was demanding a statement on the NEET police action from the Home Minister, and instead, the government chose to push through a name change bill. Feels like distraction politics. But also, the name change itself is fine; just the process feels rushed.