MUMBAI/NAGPUR: CM Devendra Fadnavis said on Wednesday that he would write to the Union HRD minister as well as PM Modi to change the name of IIT Bombay to IIT Mumbai. He made the announcement to the media in Nagpur after MNS chief Raj Thackeray took objection to Union minister of state for science and technology Jitendra Singh lauding the institute for retaining its name.At a function at IIT Bombay on Tuesday, Singh said, “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.”Raj posted on social media that Singh’s statement reflected govt’s mindset. He stated, “The conspiracy to separate Mumbai from Maharashtra was destroyed by Marathi leaders and the people, and Mumbai remained in Maharashtra. The restlessness in their stomach over their issue is once again being vomited out. Jitendra Singh has no relation with Mumbai, Maharashtra, or Gujarat. But realising what is going on in the minds of his leaders and to be patted on the back, he has said this.” He alleged, “The Centre has tried to take away Chandigarh from Punjab, which was opposed by all parties, and they backtracked. Something is 100% cooking about Mumbai. Efforts have begun to annex first Mumbai and then the entire MMR to Gujarat.” Fadnavis rejected Raj’s claims, stating it was BJP’s Ram Naik who was instrumental in ensuring Bombay was renamed as Mumbai. Attacking the Thackerays without naming them, in an indirect reference to the their young generation having studied at Bombay Scottish, he said some people conveniently do not insist on renaming the school where their children study. “For us in the BJP, it’s Mumbai only and not Bombay. We are making continuous efforts to end all signs of Bombay and it should be replaced with Mumbai,” Fadnavis said, adding that Thackeray’s criticism was selective and politically motivated. MNS workers on Wednesday put up posters outside the institute proclaiming it as ‘IIT Mumbai’.
