The Union Cabinet approved the renaming of Kerala to Keralam on Tuesday. The move, which was endorsed by the Kerala Assembly, is finally set to be fulfilled.
The Assembly has passed the resolutions in 2023 and 2024 urging the union government amend the name of the state in the constitution.
Both resolutions were moved by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
The move is being made under Article 3 of the Constitution, which allows states to alter names.
The resolution argues that the the name of the state is ‘Keralam’ in the the Malayalam language. The state however has been referred to as Kerala in the First Schedule of the Constitution since the linguistic reorganisation of states on Nov. 1, 1956.
“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 the 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 bill read.
Kerala BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar had also written to the CM last month to express the party’s support for the move.
Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor questioned what Keralites would be called in English if the state is renamed. He asked what would happen to the terms "Keralite" and "Keralan."
In a post on X he asked, "All to the good, no doubt, but a small linguistic question for the Anglophones among us: what happens now to the terms “Keralite” and “Keralan” for the denizens of the new “Keralam”? “Keralamite” sounds like a microbe and “Keralamian” like a rare earth mineral…! @CMOKerala might want to launch a competition for new terms resulting from this electoral zeal:"
The Centre said that further action will be taken and the recommendation of the President will be obtained so that the bill can be passed.