Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, Nov 27: A fresh political storm erupted on Wednesday after Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced that he would write to the Union HRD Minister and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging them to rename IIT Bombay as IIT Mumbai. His statement came a day after MNS chief Raj Thackeray strongly objected to Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh praising the institute for “retaining its old name.”
The controversy began at a function at IIT Bombay on Tuesday, where Singh remarked, “Thank God IIT Bombay has still retained its name… you have not changed it to Mumbai. It is true for Madras (too). It remains IIT Madras.” The comment triggered sharp reactions from Raj Thackeray, who accused the Centre of harbouring intentions to detach Mumbai from Maharashtra.
Raj took to social media, alleging that Singh’s words reflected a deeper mindset within the government. He claimed that attempts to separate Mumbai from Maharashtra had been foiled earlier by Marathi leaders and the people, and warned that similar efforts were resurfacing. He further alleged that the Centre had “tried to take away Chandigarh from Punjab” before being forced to retract, adding that “something is 100% cooking about Mumbai” and hinting at attempts to annex Mumbai and the MMR region to Gujarat.
Dismissing the allegations, CM Fadnavis recalled that it was BJP leader Ram Naik who had played a key role in renaming Bombay as Mumbai. Without naming the Thackerays directly, he took a swipe at them, noting that while they demand name changes, they do not insist on renaming institutions like “Bombay Scottish,” where their younger generation studied. He reiterated that for the BJP, it is “Mumbai only,” adding that the party is committed to replacing all remaining references to “Bombay” across the state.
On Wednesday, MNS workers intensified their protest by putting up posters outside IIT Bombay, boldly declaring it as ‘IIT Mumbai’, signalling that the dispute over the iconic institute’s name is far from over.