Responding to the Union Cabinet's approval to change Kerala's name to Keralam, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said, "It has already been 'Keralam' in Malayalam...I don't know what difference it makes." He further asked, "What happens now to the terms 'Keralite' and 'Keralan'?" joking that, "'Keralamite' sounds like a microbe and 'Keralamian' like a rare earth mineral."