The Kerala assembly on Wednesday unanimously adopted a resolution urging the Centre to officially change the state's name to 'Keralam'.
The resolution was moved by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan who urged the central government to change the state's name to 'Keralam' in all languages included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India.
“The name of our state is Keralam in the Malayalam language. States were formed based on language on November 1, 1956. Kerala Day is also on November 1," the Chief Minister said.
"The need to unite Kerala for the Malayalam-speaking communities has been strongly evident since the time of the national freedom struggle. However, the name of our state is listed as Kerala in the First Schedule of the Constitution," he said.
"This House also requests that our state be renamed as 'Keralam' in all the languages mentioned in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution," reads the resolution.
The resolution was accepted by the Congress-led UDF opposition which did not suggest any amendments or modifications in it.
Subsequently, it was declared as unanimously adopted by the assembly by Speaker AN Shamseer based on a show of hands.
Presenting the resolution, the CM said that the state was called 'Keralam' in Malayalam, but in other languages it was still Kerala.
He said that the need to form a united Kerala for the Malayalam-speaking communities had strongly emerged since the time of the national freedom struggle.
"But the name of our state is written as Kerala in the First Schedule of the Constitution."
"This Assembly unanimously requests the Union Government to take immediate steps to amend it as 'Keralam' under Article 3 of the Constitution and it be renamed as 'Keralam' in all the languages mentioned in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution," he said.
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