West Bengal has always been a wonderfully anachronistic name for a state, confusing youngsters all over the country. It was a useful reminder of the state's complex history, and an assertion of Bengali nationhood that transcends borders. Even if India and Bangladesh were two separate countries the fact that West Bengal retained its geographical title – a consequence of Partition – was a nod to the once undivided province of Bengal. That will no longer be the case. The West Bengal cabinet, headed by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on Tuesday decided that it would rename the state.

The proposal, which was passed by the Cabinet and will be taken to a special Assembly Session for legislative backing, offered a fairly straightforward new name for the state in English: Bengal. No more little children asking why an Eastern state had West in its name.

The reason for doing this seemed a little less direction, though: Officials said Banerjee wanted to make sure it did not come last alphabetically. The chief minister was apparently annoyed that she was last on the list of speakers at the Inter-State Council Meeting according to the Indian Express.

Some were amused, others not so much.

But that wasn't all the Cabinet decided. They also decided to alter a decision by an earlier government, also headed by Banerjee, to change the Bengali name to Poschimbongo (West Bengal), again dropping the direction. In this case, the Cabinet has suggested two Bengali names for the state: Bangla and Bongo (it can also be transliterated to Banga, although the sound remains the same).

As you might expect, that second one prompted plenty of reactions. Union Minister Babul Supriyo stated the obvious.

One Twitter user decided to point out all the other things that happen to have the same name.

While others were just generally aghast at the thought that the state would now be called Bongo.