CPI welcomes renaming of Kerala, calls it 'intrinsic to the Malayalam'
New Delhi (PTI): The Communist Party of India (CPI) on Tuesday congratulated the "people of Keralam" as the Union Cabinet accepted the proposal to officially rename the State of Kerala.
In a statement, the CPI said the decision represented the "culmination of a longstanding and democratic demand of the people of Kerala, rooted in the state's linguistic heritage and collective self-respect."
"The name Keralam is intrinsic to the Malayalam language and reflects the civilisational continuity and cultural identity of the region. Correcting this colonial-era anglicisation is an affirmation of India's multilingual and federal character," the Left party said.
It said the Kerala Legislative Assembly had unanimously adopted a resolution moved by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in June 2024, urging the Union Government to effect this change.
"This resolution was the expression of a broad political and social consensus within the state, cutting across sections and reflecting the popular will of the people," it said.
"The Party places on record the consistent and principled efforts of the Left Democratic Front (LDF), which spearheaded this demand both within the state and at the national level. The LDF Government's initiative in formally moving the Assembly resolution and pursuing the matter with the Union Government demonstrates its commitment to safeguarding Kerala's linguistic and cultural identity within the constitutional framework," the statement read.
The Union Cabinet on Tuesday approved a proposal of the Kerala government to change the name of the state to Keralam, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at its first meeting at Seva Teerth, the new PMO complex.
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Three dead after drinking country liquor in Meerut, police initiate probe
Meerut (UP) (PTI): Three people died under suspicious circumstances after consuming country liquor in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh. Preliminary probe has not confirmed if they died due to the quality of alcohol, officials said on Saturday.
All three vomited and had abdominal pain after drinking the liquor on Friday evening and were rushed to a hospital where they were declared dead. A post-mortem will determine the exact cause of death, they said.
According to the police, Baburam (60), a grocery shop owner, Jitendra (35), who worked at his shop and Ankit alias Daulat (40), purchased liquor in the evening from a government-authorised country liquor outlet and began drinking at the spot.
Shortly after drinking the liquor, the health of all three deteriorated, and they began complaining of vomiting and abdominal pain.
The three were rushed to a private hospital, where doctors declared Jitendra and Ankit dead, while Baburam passed away during treatment.
Additional Director General (ADG) of Police for the Meerut Zone, Bhanu Bhaskar, District Magistrate VK Singh, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Avinash Pandey, and District Excise Officer Pradeep Kumar reached the spot and initiated an investigation.
SSP Avinash Pandey said that preliminary investigations have not confirmed whether the liquor was "toxic or expired". The bottling date was found to be February 11, 2026, and other bottles from the same batch received no such complaints.
He added that a post-mortem will determine the exact cause of death. Personnel from the Health, Forensic, Surveillance, and Intelligence teams have been constituted to investigate the matter.
Following the incident, the family members created a ruckus at the hospital. Police said further action would be taken based on the findings of the investigation.
