Thiruvananthapuram, Feb. 25 -- BJP leader V Muraleedharan on Tuesday praised the Union Cabinet's approval to rename Kerala as 'Keralam', stating that it signifies the Malayalam language.

"It indicates the significance of the Malayalam language... The government under the PM Narendra Modi has accepted the long-standing demand of the people of Kerala... The entire state of Kerala would like to express its gratitude to the Indian government for this historic decision..." he said.

Meanwhile, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor highlighted that Kerala already translates to 'Keralam' in Malayalam, raising questions on the need to rename the state.

"It has already been 'Keralam' in Malayalam. So now, a Malayalam word is coming into English. I don't kn...