Will write to PM Modi, Education Minister for renaming IIT Bombay as IIT Mumbai: Devendra Fadnavis

Responding to media questions on the renaming controversy, Fadnavis said, “Everybody knows Bombay was renamed as Mumbai because of the BJP government at the Centre and the BJP coalition in the state. It was BJP senior leader and union minister Ram Naik who had taken the initiative.”

The chief minister said, “I will write to the PM and Union HRD Minister (Education Minister as the Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) is now called the Ministry of Education) requesting them to consider our demand for renaming IIT Bombay as IIT Mumbai.”

Taking a dig at Raj Thackeray, the CM said, “Some people very conveniently take a selective stand. Those criticising the BJP never stood up when it came to renaming the school in which their children studied.” Fadnavis was referring to Raj Thackeray and Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray’s children, who studied at Bombay Scottish Schools.

Earlier, on Monday, during an event at IIT Bombay, Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State for Science and Technology, said, “Thank God, IIT Bombay has still retained its name…you have not changed it to Mumbai. It is true for Madras. It remains IIT Madras.”

A day later, Raj Thackeray—whose party has long championed sons-of-the-soil and anti-migrant politics—slammed Singh, saying his statement reflected the government’s “mindset”.

“And what is this mentality? So the plan to separate Mumbai, which belonged to the Marathi people, from Maharashtra was foiled by the Marathi leaders and the people. And our Marathi remained in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The bitterness that had been building up in their stomachs for decades has started to come out once again,” Thackeray said in a post on X.

Thackeray alleged that he aimed to get praise by knowing what was going on in the minds of top leaders and saying so.

Thackeray said, “They hate the name ‘Mumbai’ because it is named after Mumbadevi, the original goddess of Mumbai. Her children are the Marathi people who have lived here for generations. They hate you and your city.”

The MNS chief then referred to how the Centre had “tried to take away the city of Chandigarh from Punjab”. “It faced all-party opposition, so it withdrew, but it was a temporary withdrawal. As regards Mumbai, a similar agenda is on their minds,” he added.

“There is definitely an attempt to slowly take over this city by saying, ‘I don’t want Mumbai, I want Bombay’. First, there is an attempt to take over Mumbai and then the entire MMR area and connect it to Gujarat!,” Thackeray said, adding that it was high time Marathis wake up.

As the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections approach, regional parties like the MNS are preparing to leverage emotive issues related to Mumbai and Marathi identity. With a 26 per cent Marathi vote bank, the MNS believes that addressing sensitive topics will help consolidate support from the “sons of the soil,” giving the party a much-needed boost as it seeks to regain its foothold.

In response to the regional party’s agenda, the BJP has quickly decided to bring the issue of renaming IIT Bombay to the Centre. A party insider said, “The final decision will have to be made by the Centre and relevant departments. Changing the names of IITs is not within the state’s jurisdiction.”