Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has extended its support to the LDF government’s proposal to rename the state as “Keralam” and has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene in the matter.
State BJP Chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar sent letters to both the Prime Minister and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, making the party’s stand clear.
Chandrasekhar said that renaming the state would help counter attempts by extremist forces seeking to divide Kerala into separate districts on religious lines. He noted that the Kerala Legislative Assembly had passed a resolution to officially change the state’s name in records from “Kerala” to “Keralam.”
Highlighting the BJP’s ideological focus on protecting linguistic culture and traditions, Chandrasekhar said the party has always recognised the state as “Keralam,” reflecting its thousands of years of heritage, culture, and tradition.
In his letter to the Prime Minister, he expressed hope that the renaming would encourage all political parties to work together to revive and preserve the state’s rich heritage and build a “Vikasita, Surakshita Keralam” where the faith and traditions of people across all religions are respected and safeguarded.
“A Keralam deeply rooted in its history, while working towards a bright and prosperous future for all Malayalees, will also blunt the efforts of radical elements in society who continue to raise demands for carving out districts based on religion,” Chandrasekhar stated.
He requested the Prime Minister’s intervention to ensure the state is officially named in its Malayalam-rooted form, “Keralam.” Chandrasekhar reiterated the same position in a letter to Chief Minister Vijayan, emphasising the goal of creating a safe and developed Kerala where the religious faith of all residents is respected.
The Kerala Legislative Assembly had unanimously passed a resolution in August 2024 urging the Union government to change the state’s name to “Keralam.” The resolution, moved by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, highlighted that while the state is referred to as “Keralam” in Malayalam, other languages still use “Kerala.”
Vijayan noted that the need to form a united Kerala for Malayalam-speaking communities had emerged strongly since the national freedom struggle.
The BJP currently does not have any members in the Kerala Legislative Assembly.
With PTI inputs