IIT Bombay Renaming Row Erupts After Minister’s Remark; Maharashtra Pushes for ‘IIT Mumbai’

A single off-the-cuff remark has snowballed into Maharashtra's latest political storm. When Union Minister Jitendra Singh quipped at an event, "Thank God it still is this name. You have not changed it to Mumbai," he probably didn't expect it to shake up the state's political circles. But it did-instantly.

Within hours, the debate over "Bombay" versus "Mumbai" was alive again, louder than ever.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis seized the moment, announcing that the state would formally ask the Centre to rename IIT Bombay as IIT Mumbai. For him, this was more than a response-it was an opportunity to underline the BJP's long-standing push to replace colonial-era names with regional ones. He reminded everyone that BJP veteran Ram Naik had played a crucial role in Bombay's transition to Mumbai decades ago.

But the comment hit a nerve with Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray. For him, Singh's words were not a casual joke-they were a window into what he described as the Centre's "mindset". On X, he accused New Delhi of repeatedly attempting to dilute Mumbai's Marathi identity. He even hinted at parallels with efforts to detach Chandigarh from Punjab, warning Mumbai residents to stay alert.

Fuelled by the controversy, MNS workers promptly took matters into their own hands-literally-by putting up a banner outside IIT Bombay declaring it "IIT Mumbai".

The BJP, however, didn't stay silent. Leaders like Kirit Somaiya backed the renaming move and went a step further, suggesting that even the Bombay High Court should get a name rooted in Mumbai. Meanwhile, Mumbai BJP president Amit Satam launched a pointed attack on Thackeray, questioning his commitment to Marathi identity and even dragging in the schools attended by Thackeray's children. MLA Atul Bhatkhalkar joined the chorus, sharpening the political jabs.

What began as a throwaway line at a campus event has now spiraled into a full-blown identity debate-one that taps into Maharashtra's long history of linguistic pride, cultural assertion, and the enduring clash between colonial names and regional identity.