Union Minister of State Jitendra Singh had recently said that he was happy that the name of the IIT was IIT-Bombay, and not IIT-Mumbai. Photo: Sansad TV/ANI Video Grab
The Maharashtra government is unhappy with Union Minister Jitendra Singh’s recent statement about Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay, Maharashtra Minister Ashish Shelar told the Legislative Council on Saturday (December 13, 2025). He was responding to a notice issued by Shiv Sena (UBT) MLC Anil Parab on the issue. He also said that an upset Chief Minister had written to the Union government about it.
Mr. Singh had recently said that he was happy that the name of the IIT was IIT-Bombay, and not IIT-Mumbai. The statement had caused a stir in the State, with both the Opposition as well as the ruling dispensation hitting back at Mr. Singh. Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leader Raj Thackeray had also expressed strong displeasure about it.
“It needs to be clearly stated that the Maharashtra government is unhappy with this statement. The Chief Minister has already written a letter to the Union Minister concerned about it. So, the government’s position is not just that it is unhappy, but that the displeasure has been conveyed as well,” Mr. Shelar told the House during its Winter Session.
“We have not yet received the notification about it [the notice raised in the House]. And though this does not fall in the purview of my department, this issue is close to the heart for all of us. It is of significance for Maharashtra, for Mumbai, and it is a matter of pride and identity for the Marathi manoos. So, I wish to express my opinion on the notice issued on the topic,” Mr. Shelar said while speaking in the Council.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MLC Anil Parab had raised the issue, seeking to know Maharashtra government’s official position in the matter. “Mumbai is a matter of identity and pride for the Marathi manoos. Balasaheb Thackeray had done a lot for the issue of renaming Bombay as Mumbai, so had [former Union Minister and BJP leader] Ram Naik. So I had asked the government for its position on the Union Minister’s statement,” Mr. Parab told The Hindu from Nagpur.
Published – December 13, 2025 07:38 pm IST
