Lok Sabha Approves Bill to Change Kerala’s Official Name
The Lok Sabha has approved a bill seeking to officially change the name of the state of Kerala to ‘Keralam’, in line with its pronunciation in the Malayalam language. The bill was passed amid strong protests and slogans by opposition members in the House.
The development marks a significant step forward in the process of changing the state’s official name. The proposed change requires an amendment to the First Schedule of the Constitution of India, where the state is currently listed as ‘Kerala’.
Opposition Demands Amit Shah’s Presence
The proceedings in the Lok Sabha witnessed considerable disruption as opposition members raised slogans demanding the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the House.
The protests led to a brief period of confusion and disorder inside the House. Despite the commotion, the Lok Sabha Speaker proceeded with the bill and allowed it to be taken up for consideration.
Bill Passed by Voice Vote
Amid the continuing opposition protests, the bill was put before the House for approval. The members subsequently passed it through a voice vote.
The passage of the bill in the Lok Sabha is being seen as an important development in the state’s proposed name-change process. However, the constitutional procedure for changing the name of a state requires further parliamentary action.
Kerala Assembly Had Earlier Passed Unanimous Resolution
The demand to change the name from ‘Kerala’ to ‘Keralam’ is not new. The Kerala Legislative Assembly had earlier passed a unanimous resolution seeking the change.
The resolution was subsequently forwarded to the Central Government for necessary action. The state had sought the name ‘Keralam’ to reflect the pronunciation and linguistic identity of the state in Malayalam.
Constitutional Amendment Process
Under the Constitution, the names of states are specified in the First Schedule. Therefore, changing the official name of Kerala requires an amendment to the relevant constitutional provision.
The Central Government introduced the bill in Parliament as part of this process, proposing to replace the name ‘Kerala’ with ‘Keralam’ in the First Schedule.
A Major Step in Kerala’s Name-Change Process
With the Lok Sabha approving the bill, the proposed renaming of Kerala has moved another step forward. If the remaining constitutional and parliamentary procedures are completed, the state could officially be known as ‘Keralam’.
The move is being viewed as an effort to align the state’s official name with its traditional Malayalam pronunciation and linguistic identity.
