The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed a Bill to rename Kerala as 'Keralam' without a debate, with the government taking a swipe at Congress MPs from the state for not participating in a discussion on the matter.
The Kerala Assembly passed a resolution in 2024 urging the Centre to bring a law to change the name of the state to Keralam.
The Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, moved by Union Minister of State for Home, Nityanand Rai, was passed by a voice vote without any debate amid sloganeering.
"It seems the Congress MPs are not in favour of the renaming," Rai said, taking a swipe at the party that governs Kerala.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju also took a dig at the Congress, saying he was saddened that its MP K C Venugopal, who has been elected from Kerala, could not speak on the Bill.
The draft law was later passed without a debate as the opposition members continued to protest demanding the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the House over police excesses against student protesters in Delhi on July 20.
The Kerala government had forwarded a resolution passed by the state Assembly regarding the name change to the Centre in June 2024.
Subsequently, the president of India referred a Bill to the state legislature for expressing its views and later, the state Assembly adopted a unanimous resolution agreeing with the Bill.
On Monday, Rai introduced the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, amid opposition din over various issues.
"The Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill provides for such alteration of name of the state of Kerala and contains necessary amendments to the provisions of the Constitution and also consequential provisions," according to the Bill's statement of objects and reasons.
Amendments will be made in the First Schedule to the Constitution by modifying the name of state of Kerala as 'Keralam' in accordance with Article 3 of the Constitution.
(With inputs from PTI)