NEW DELHI: Centre on Tuesday approved altering the name ‘Kerala’ to ‘Keralam’ almost two years after the state’s legislative assembly passed a resolution for the same. The approval comes as the state is set to go to polls later this year.BJP Kerala president Rajeev Chandrasekhar called it a “privilege” that his party and alliance could “initiate” the renaming of the state, as he went on slam the Congress and CPM for leaving the state “littered” with incomplete and unfinished tasks for the past 65 years. BJP has never been in power in the state. “There are many things that the Bharatiya Janata Party and the National Democratic Alliance will do in Keralam that they have never done before, could never do earlier, and have never attempted. The BJP and the NDA are a coalition, a political formation that believes in completing the unfinished tasks, the incomplete work of the last 65 years left undone by the politics of the Congress party,”he said.“It is our responsibility as the BJP and as every Malayali to reclaim and protect the heritage, history, culture, and traditions of our proud Keralam. We are happy and privileged that God has given us this opportunity, and that the people have given us this opportunity, to initiate the renaming of our proud state of Kerala as Keralam,” he added.
Why the state is being renamed to ‘Keralam’?
The push to rename Kerala to “Keralam” is rooted in language, history and identity.In a resolution passed by the state assembly, the CPM government had pointed out that the name of the state in the Malayalam language is “Keralam,” and that Indian states were reorganised on linguistic lines on November 1, 1956 — a date celebrated annually as Kerala Piravi Day. The resolution noted that during the national independence movement there was a strong demand for a united state for Malayalam-speaking people, making the linguistic identity central to its formation.“The name of our State is ‘Keralam’ in Malayalam Language. States were formed on the basis of language on the 1st day of November, 1956. The Kerala Piravi Day is also on the 1st day of November. Since the time of National Independence Struggle, there has been a strong demand for the formation of United Kerala for the people speaking Malayalam language. But in the First Schedule to the Constitution the name of our State is recorded as ‘Kerala’. This Assembly unanimously appeal to the Central Government to take urgent steps as per Article 3 of the Constitution for modifying the name as ‘Keralam’,” the resolution passed on June 24, 2024 said.
Why Centre’s approval matters now
With the Centre ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led alliance, the approval to rename Kerala as ‘Keralam’ is also being viewed through a political lens. For the BJP, the move aligns with its broader emphasis on cultural identity and linguistic authenticity. By backing the state assembly’s resolution to adopt ‘Keralam’, the Malayalam name rooted in the state’s linguistic reorganisation, the party can position itself as respectful of regional sentiment while reinforcing its narrative of civilisational and cultural pride.The language question has also been a recurring flashpoint between Kerala and the BJP-led Centre, particularly over concerns of Hindi imposition, recently being the three-language row.The CPM government has already made it clear that though the state supported students learning multiple languages, it firmly opposed making Hindi compulsory. Centre, meanwhile, has been voicing its support for regional languages, arguing that governance and education should increasingly take place in mother tongues. “Hindi is a friend of all languages and together, Hindi and other Indian languages enhance our self-pride,” Union home minister Amit Shah had said last year.The timing of the Centre’s nod also matters. Coming as the BJP seeks to expand its footprint in a state long dominated by the Left and the Congress, the decision allows the party to signal responsiveness to Kerala’s aspirations. After opening its Lok Sabha account in the state in 2024, the BJP has been attempting to shed its outsider image. Supporting the name change gives it an opportunity to demonstrate political accommodation rather than confrontation, a calibrated step as it works to establish itself as a durable third force in Kerala’s evolving political landscape.
