MNS slams minister’s remarks on IIT Bombay’s name

Mumbai, Nov 25 (PTI) The Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena on Tuesday said Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh’s remarks on not changing IIT Bombay’s name to IIT Mumbai amounted to Mahrashtra’s insult.

“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 minister had said, addressing a function at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay on Monday.

Singh lauded IIT Bombay, which was set up in 1958, saying the institute had been a “very consistent” partner of the Department of Science and Technology ever since the department came into being.

Responding to the minister’s remarks, MNS leader Gajanan Kale said, “BJP leaders never leave any opportunity to insult Marathi, Mumbai and Maharashtra”.

Kale demanded that Mumbai BJP president Amit Satam and state minister Ashish Shelar should visit Bal Thackeray’s memorial in Mumbai and apologise over Singh’s remarks.

The city, also known as Bombay earlier, was officially renamed Mumbai in 1995 by the state government, to honour the local goddess Mumbadevi, after whom the city is named, and to shed the remnants of British colonial rule. PTI SM VT VT