Maharashtra govt 'unhappy' with Union minister's IIT Bombay name remark

Maharashtra minister Ashish Shelar on Saturday told the legislative council that the state government was "not happy" with Union minister Jitendra Singh's remark made last month on not changing IIT Bombay's name to IIT Mumbai.

The state government is not just unhappy, but it has written a letter to the Centre expressing its opinion on it, Shelar, who is Minister of Cultural Affairs, said.

Shelar, who belongs to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was replying to a query raised by Shiv Sena (UBT) member Anil Parab about the government's stand on Singh's statement.

Addressing a function in the last week of November, Jitendra Singh, Minister of State for Science and Technology, said, "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."  The remark invited a sharp reaction from Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray, who said it shows the government's mindset.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis later said the government will write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the education ministry seeking to change the name of IIT Bombay to Mumbai.

Speaking in the Upper House of the state legislature on Saturday, Parab said the Union minister's statement on IIT Bombay has hurt Maharashtra's pride, and asked the government to clarify its stand.

In his reply, Shelar said, "The Maharashtra government's stand is very clear that it is not 'Bombay' but ' Mumbai'. The government's stand is that it is not happy with that particular statement," he said. "CM Devendra Fadnavis has sent a letter to the central government over the issue. Hence, the government is not just unhappy but it has written a letter to the Centre expressing its opinion on it," the minister said.

The capital of Maharashtra, earlier known as Bombay, was officially renamed Mumbai in 1995 by the state government, to honour the local goddess Mumbadevi, after whom the city is named, and to shed the remnants of British colonial rule.