Mamata creating distractions from real issues with name change: CPI (M)

Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Mohammed Salim on Tuesday alleged the Trinamool Congress is merely trying to create distractions to avoid real issues with its proposal to change the name of West Bengal.

"The Chief Minister (Mamata Banerjee) and the Trinamool Congress want to just divert the attention..I think it (name change) is a non issue.People are affected in some parts by flood , some part of Bengal is now drought affected, proper healthcare system is not there, dengue is there. Chief Minister is not talking about dengue and other ailments. Its taking epidemic proportion," said Salim.

The West Bengal Legislative Assembly yesterday passed a resolution changing the name of the state to Bengal in English and Bangla in Bengali. The resolution is now to be approved by the Centre and then passed by the Parliament.

"The central government is to take a decision first, the cabinet should also take a decision, earlier also such idea was mooted....In Bengal also it is a divided opinion now . I think there is no harm.and there is no gain in the change of name," Salim added.

"Does the newly elected government's first priority (is) that our government should speak first or second ..alphabetically there name should be there..we should claim our positions by doing good things," he said.

The West Bengal Chief Minister had often complained that she rarely got a chance to speak in national meetings as the state came at the end of a list. With its new name, the state will jump up in the queue.

Salim highlighted that the state can excel in sports, culture, education and other areas, but instead its ranking is falling and government is creating distractions instead of working toeards betterment.

"West Bengal can be top in sports, in culture, in education even in the democratic society and secularism. But in every respect when West Bengal is going down and when there are so many pressing issues, the chief minister and the Trinamool Congress wants to just divert the attention," he said adding "What is there in name? Rabindra Nath Tagore is Rabindra Nath Tagore whether you write Tagore or Thakur. People know that who is Rabindra Nath Tagore."

The renaming was endorsed by the assembly on Monday but the opposition Left, Congress and the BJP walked out in protest.

In 2001, the previous Left government, led by Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, had also tried to rename the state and cleared the renaming of the state to "Paschimbanga". However, the central government led by Atal Behari Vajpayee didn't accept the suggestion, but Calcutta became Kolkata at the time.