BJP veteran Ram Naik criticises Jitendra Singh over 'Bombay' remark, seeks immediate withdrawal

Mumbai, Nov 27 Former Uttar Pradesh Governor and veteran BJP leader Ram Naik on Thursday criticised Union Minister Jitendra Singh for his statement that "it is good that Bombay in the name of IIT was kept as it is and not changed to Mumbai".

In a two-page letter, he urged the minister to immediately withdraw his statement to stop the unnecessary controversy over Bombay vs Mumbai and to preserve Mumbai's glory.

Naik suggested that Dr. Singh should take the lead to amend the relevant law and change the name of the institution from ‘IIT Bombay’ to ‘IIT Mumbai’. He said he is intervening in this row solely for the sake of his workplace, ‘Mumbai,’ and expects Dr. Singh to issue an appropriate statement soon.

"I would certainly propose that by amending the relevant law, the name ‘Bombay’ be replaced with 'Mumbai'. I believe that even while in opposition, everyone will support this from a positive perspective,” he added. Naik narrated his persistent efforts over six years (culminating in an ordinance on December 15, 1995) to officially change the name from ‘Bombay’ (and ‘Bambai’) to ‘Mumbai’ in all languages.

He stated that he is the only MP elected continuously five times from Mumbai and played a crucial role in preserving Maharashtra's identity. He also mentioned later issuing a modified order in 1999 to ensure the word was written as ‘Mumbai’ in all languages. Naik argued that these name changes -- like Madras to Chennai, Calcutta to Kolkata, Allahabad to Prayagraj, Faizabad to Ayodhya -- are not mere changes but the restoration of original names tied to local identity and sentiment. He noted that ‘Mumbai’ is derived from the ancient deity Mumbadevi.

Naik said that some individuals deliberately use incorrect names, which he considers fundamentally wrong. He emphasized that restoring the original name enhances the identity and emotions connected to that region, and there is no linguistic contradiction in special names.

"Mumbai has been the ancient name of this city, visible in the term 'Mumbadevi', and in all languages it should be 'Mumbai' -- not 'Bombay' or 'Bambai'," he asserted.

Meanwhile, Naik said that the opposition should not take advantage of Dr. Singh's statement to extract political mileage, saying that because of his consistent efforts the change from Bombay to Mumbai created history.

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