MyVoice: Views of our readers 26th February 2026

Devuji’s surrender is a breakthrough

It is indeed a breakthrough for Telangana police after Devuji and three top leaders of Maoists surrendered to DGP Telangana (THI Feb 25). The special intelligence win has played a vital role while urging the outlawed leaders to join the mainstream and be suitably rewarded.

Right now, only some splinter groups are still operating in forests. Now that the Union and State governments have initiated many welfare schemes for the downtrodden, there is little left for the Maoists to fight for the people. Of course, as the government is yet to reach the remotest tribal areas where basic amenities are lacking, the surrendered Maoists could take up their problems and fight for their justice.

J P Reddy, Nalgonda-508001

Keralam meets aspirations of the locals

The Union Cabinet approved the Kerala government’s proposal to officially rename the State as ‘Keralam’. It is an endorsement of the unanimous resolution passed by the Kerala Assembly in June 2024 that it gives the State a linguistic identity.

Meanwhile, the timing of the decision, just ahead of the April Kerala Assembly elections, has generated political debate, with the ruling side projecting it as cultural restoration and the opposition viewing it through an electoral lens. The transition represents an important step in correcting colonial-era nomenclature.

Vidyasagar Reddy Kethiri, Hanumakonda

Every State should have single word name

Like it did with Keralam, the Centre must now approve ‘Andhra’ and ‘Bangla’ as a single word name. It sounds good for all states. Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu should also have a single word as name of the state.

Jakka Vijay Kumar, Secunderabad-15

Any gains in change of name?

William Shakespeare’s ‘What’s in a name’ may mean nothing for our politicians. The rampant renaming of cities and even streets by the BJP, change of state code from TS to TG by the Congress or renaming of Kerala are leaving the common man to wonder what effect will this have on their lives or their living conditions?

P R Ravinder, Hyderabad.

Why single out ‘Bangla’?

The long pending demand of Kerala to be rechristened as ‘Keralam’ has been approved by the Union Cabinet. It is a good move as it syncs with the State’s linguistic identity. “Keram” is generally attributed to the coastline, extending from Karnataka to Tamil Nadu, that is rich in coconut cultivation and is the primary source of coconut oil production in the country.

But a similar change from West Bengal to ‘Bangla’ doesn’t warrant a similar consideration because of TMC and Mamata Banerjee, a perennial foe of the BJP, and the unhealthy affinity with Bangladesh.

K R Venkata Narasimhan, Madurai