State govt rejects Union minister’s remark on retaining IIT Bombay name

Maharashtra government rejects Union Minister Jitendra Singh's remark on IIT Bombay's name, asserting commitment to the name "Mumbai" and cultural identity.

NAGPUR: The Maharashtra government on Saturday strongly objected to a remark made by Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh, who had said last month that he was “glad” the Indian Institute of Technology had retained the name “IIT Bombay” instead of adopting “IIT Mumbai”.

Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh

Responding to a question raised by senior Shiv Sena (UBT) member Anil Parab in the Legislative Council, Cultural Affairs Minister Ashish Shelar said the state government did not endorse the Union minister’s views and had taken up the matter formally with the Centre.

“We disown the views expressed by the Union minister. The chief minister wrote immediately to the concerned ministry after the statement was made. There will be no compromise on this issue,” Shelar said, adding that the government was not in a defensive mode.

Singh had made the remark while speaking at a function at the IIT Bombay campus on November 24, 2025, where he also observed that IIT Madras had similarly retained its original name. The comment triggered sharp reactions from Maharashtra’s regional parties, particularly the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), which accused the Centre of disrespecting Marathi identity and the city’s official name.

MNS chief Raj Thackeray and other leaders said the remark reflected a bias against the name “Mumbai”, which was officially adopted in 1995 and is derived from the local deity Mumbadevi.

Raising the issue in the House, Parab said the renaming of Bombay to Mumbai had followed a long political and cultural struggle, led by leaders, including Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray. He said a Union minister’s comment questioning or undermining that change amounted to an insult to that movement and to Marathi sentiments. Parab also sought clarity on the state government’s policy on the issue.

Shelar reiterated that the government had formally conveyed its stand to the Union minister and his ministry through a letter. He further informed the House that the state is pursuing the matter with the Union government and the Supreme Court to rename the Bombay High Court and IIT Bombay as Mumbai High Court and IIT Mumbai, in keeping with the city’s official name.