A row over the name of one of India’s premier institutes has reignited debates on language, culture, and identity in Maharashtra.
Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said his government will write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union education ministry seeking to rename IIT Bombay as IIT Mumbai.
The move follows a row triggered by Union Minister Jitendra Singh’s remarks at an event on the campus earlier this week.
Singh, speaking at a function at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, had 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 comment drew a sharp response from MNS chief Raj Thackeray, who said the minister’s words reflect the “mindset” of the government.
Fadnavis, addressing reporters in Nagpur, stressed that the BJP has always backed Mumbai’s name and identity. "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' is replaced with Mumbai".
He 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."
Raj Thackeray used the controversy to sharpen his pitch on Marathi identity, suggesting that a larger political plan was unfolding.
He claimed that something “similar” to the Centre’s “bid” to take Chandigarh out of Punjab’s control may be brewing for Mumbai.
In a post on X, he wrote that Mumbai has “always belonged to the Marathi people,” and that past attempts to separate the city from Maharashtra were defeated by Marathi leaders and the public.
"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.
He urged voters to stay alert: "People of Mumbai and all Marathi folks living in the entire Mumbai Metropolitan Region should open their eyes now. The name 'Mumbai' irks them (ruling dispensation) because it is named after Mumbadevi, the original goddess of Mumbai. Her children are the Marathi people who have lived here for generations."
Thackeray added that he believes an attempt is underway to gain quiet control over the city: "Something similar is brewing in Mumbai's case. An attempt to quietly take control of the city is definitely underway. First Mumbai, and then the entire MMR region will be seized and linked to Gujarat. Marathi people should wake up."
Hours after the controversy escalated, MNS workers placed a banner outside IIT Bombay renaming it as IIT Mumbai. Former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya said the state government would send a formal proposal to the Centre for the name change.
He also reiterated the BJP’s demand to rename the Bombay high court as the Mumbai high court.
Mumbai BJP chief Amit Satam hit back at Thackeray over his criticism of the BJP’s stance on Marathi identity.
He questioned the MNS leader’s choices in his personal life. "You educated your children in Bombay Scottish School and made them study German instead of Marathi in Class 11. Is this your love for Marathi?"
MLA Atul Bhatkhalkar also joined the criticism.
Satam highlighted that the renaming of Bombay to Mumbai in 1995 was pushed by BJP leader Ram Naik, rejecting Thackeray’s charge that the party was indifferent to the city’s identity.