Kolkata: West Bengal will soon be called Paschimbanga – a name harder to pronounce for non-Bengalis and barely a notch higher in alphabetical order.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee admitted it wasn’t the best option before an allparty meeting on Friday but because it was politically unanimous.
The chief minister also conceded that the new name might not meet everyone’s aspirations or weed out administrative difficulties that the state was facing because of being last in alphabetical order.
“Paschimbanga was the unanimous decision at the all-party meeting,” Mamata said, adding, “This will take us a step forward.”
Her partymen say Mamata favoured Bangabhoomi but gave in to pressure from Congress and Left parties like RSP and Forward Bloc.
Once approved in Parliament, the new name will help the state crawl up only seven places (ahead of Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, TN, Tripura, Uttaranchal, UP).
Senior Bengal officials have long complained that Central ministers holding meetings in Delhi often tire by the time West Bengal’s turn to present comes
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