The Maharashtra government will formally request the Centre to rename the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B) as IIT Mumbai, escalating a simmering political controversy that has sharpened identity fault lines in the state.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said his government would write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union education ministry to seek the name change, days after Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh sparked outrage with comments seen as dismissive of the institute’s Mumbai nomenclature.

Singh, speaking at the IIT campus earlier this week, had remarked: “As far as IIT Bombay is concerned, thank God it still is this name. You have not changed it to Mumbai.”

The comment triggered sharp backlash, particularly from Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray, reigniting long-standing debates around language, cultural identity and political symbolism embedded in the shift from “Bombay” to “Mumbai.”

Fadnavis countered Singh’s remark, asserting the BJP's historical stance on Marathi pride:
“Everyone knows BJP leader Ram Naik made the biggest contribution in changing Bombay to Mumbai. We always say Mumbai, not Bombay. We have been consistently working to ensure institutions reflect that name.”

Identity politics resurfaces

Raj Thackeray accused the Centre of undermining Mumbai’s Marathi identity and suggested broader attempts to “seize” Mumbai and merge it with Gujarat.
In a sharply worded post on X, he said the name “Mumbai”—derived from deity Mumbadevi—made certain leaders “uncomfortable.”

He likened the controversy to earlier disputes over Chandigarh’s administrative status and urged residents to “remain vigilant.”

Meanwhile, MNS workers erected a temporary banner renaming IIT Bombay as “IIT Mumbai” outside the campus—symbolically staking linguistic claim.

BJP hits back

BJP leaders swiftly dismissed the criticism, saying the party needed no lessons on Marathi heritage.

Former MP Kirit Somaiya said the state would submit a formal renaming proposal and added that the Bombay High Court should also be renamed in line with the city’s official identity.

Mumbai BJP chief Amit Satam questioned Raj Thackeray's stance, pointing to his children’s schooling choices as contradictory to his linguistic advocacy. MLA Atul Bhatkhalkar also joined the counterattack, intensifying the political sparring.

As the renaming debate gathers momentum, IIT Bombay — considered one of India's most prestigious academic institutions — has become the newest flashpoint in Maharashtra’s decades-long conversation on identity, language and political symbolism.

Whether the Centre accepts the proposal remains uncertain, but the controversy has already ignited familiar passions in a politically sensitive state.