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The announcement comes amid a row over Union Minister Jitendra Singh’s recent remarks on the nomenclature of the premier institute.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. (File photo)
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said the state government will write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Education Ministry seeking to rename IIT Bombay as IIT Mumbai.
The announcement comes amid a row over Union Minister Jitendra Singh’s recent remarks on the nomenclature of the premier institute.
Singh, Minister of State for Science and Technology, had said on Monday at a function at IIT Bombay that, thankfully, the institute’s name had not been changed to Mumbai. “As far as IIT Bombay is concerned, thank God it still is this name. You have not changed it to Mumbai. So that’s another compliment to you. And also true for Madras. It remains IIT Madras,” he said, drawing sharp criticism from MNS chief Raj Thackeray.
Speaking to reporters in Nagpur, Fadnavis stressed the historical contribution of BJP leader Ram Naik in renaming the city from Bombay to Mumbai.
“First of all, everyone knows that BJP leader Ram Naik had made the biggest contribution in changing (the name of) Bombay to Mumbai. We always say Mumbai, and not Bombay. We have been consistently trying to ensure that ‘Bombay’ be replaced with Mumbai,” he said.
Fadnavis added, “I will write a letter to the Prime Minister and the HRD (Education) Minister to change the name of IIT Bombay to IIT Mumbai.”
The debate has also been picked up by Raj Thackeray, who linked it to the larger issue of Marathi identity and the upcoming Mumbai civic polls. He compared the situation to the Central government’s earlier attempt to “wrest” Chandigarh from Punjab, warning that a similar move might be underway in Mumbai. “Our Marathi Mumbai remained in Maharashtra. Now, the bitterness that’s been festering in their bellies for decades is starting to spill out once again,” he said, urging Marathi residents to remain vigilant.
MNS workers on Wednesday displayed a banner outside IIT Bombay, “renaming” the institution as IIT Mumbai. Former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya also confirmed that the state government would send a formal proposal to the Centre and added that the Bombay High Court should similarly be renamed as Mumbai High Court.
The city, formerly known as Bombay, was officially renamed Mumbai in 1995 to honour the local goddess Mumbadevi, and to shed remnants of British colonial rule.
(With inputs from PTI)
The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d…Read More
The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d… Read More
November 26, 2025, 19:57 IST
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