India, Feb. 25 -- 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 ...