Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, Feb 24: The Union Cabinet is likely to take up a proposal on Tuesday to officially rename Kerala as “Keralam”, following a resolution passed by the state legislative assembly ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections.
The resolution, tabled by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, urged the Centre to amend the Constitution to reflect the state’s name as “Keralam” in all languages listed in the Eighth Schedule. The move is aimed at aligning the official name with its Malayalam usage and historical roots.
The Kerala Assembly had passed the resolution for the second time on June 25, 2024, after the Union Home Ministry reviewed the earlier submission and suggested certain technical modifications for clarity and compliance. Vijayan had emphasised that “Keralam” is the name used in Malayalam and is deeply embedded in the state’s cultural and historical identity, tracing back to the aspiration for a united Malayalam-speaking region during the freedom struggle.
At present, the state is listed as “Kerala” in the First Schedule of the Constitution. The Assembly has requested the Centre to initiate steps under Article 3 of the Constitution to amend the name to “Keralam” and ensure uniform usage across all constitutionally recognised languages.
“But the name of our state is written as Kerala in the First Schedule of the Constitution. This Assembly requests the Centre to take immediate steps to amend it as ‘Keralam’ under Article 3 of the Constitution and have it renamed as ‘Keralam’ in all the languages mentioned in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution,” Vijayan had stated while moving the resolution.
The Union Cabinet meeting is scheduled to be held at Seva Tirtha, the new office of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, marking the first Cabinet session at the new venue after the previous meeting at South Block on February 13.
While the Election Commission of India has not yet announced the official poll schedule, Kerala is expected to go to the polls before May to elect 140 members to its legislative assembly.
The proposed renaming, if cleared by the Cabinet and subsequently approved by Parliament, would formalise the state’s name in line with its linguistic and historical identity.