NDTV.com, Kolkata :West Bengal may soon become only Bengal if the Mamata Banerjee government has its way.The state cabinet on Tuesday agreed that the state could be renamed “Bengal” in English and “Banga or Bangla” in Bengali. “It is a great idea…fantastic,” enthused Union Minister Babul Supriyo of the BJP. “We have Royal Bengal Tiger. It should be Bengal or Bangla…the language,” he commented. But he is not so upbeat about what could be the Bengali name for the state.”Bongo is an instrument people play and we shouldn’t have this name,” he explained.The state government said the renaming will be discussed in a special session of the assembly on August 26.The state’s Parliamentary Affairs Minister Partha Chatterjee said the decision was taken “for the sake of the people of the state, its heritage and culture as well as to promote and protect its interests at the national level.”In Bengali, the state is called “Paschim Banga” or “Paschim Bangla”. Chatterjee said: “On August 29 and 30, we will discuss the issue and urge all to accept the new name.”In 2011 too, the government had cleared the renaming of the state to “Paschimbanga” — the name didn’t stick in English.
