Congress Slams Omission of Nehru’s Name From Mumbai Metro Station

Mumbai: The newly inaugurated Metro-3 line in Mumbai has found itself in a controversy with Congress alleging the name of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru being deliberately omitted from the Science Centre Metro station in Worli. Saying that “the BJP suffers from an allergy to the name Nehru,” Congress leader Sachin Sawant said that it was a ‘deep insult’ to the memory of Nehru.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Mumbai Congress’s chief spokesperson Sachin Sawant said that the area got its identity from the Nehru Science Centre. “Yet, because the BJP suffers from an allergy to the name Nehru, they have deliberately omitted it and named the metro station merely as Science Centre,” he added.

“This is highly objectionable and a deep insult to the memory of former Prime Minister and world icon, Bharat Ratna Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru ji, whose vision laid the foundations of India’s scientific temper, industrial progress and modern outlook. Once again, this act exposes the petty, intolerant, and vindictive mindset of the BJP,” said Sawant.

“Nehru’s contribution is so monumental and unshakable that no matter how much the BJP despises him or attempts to malign his legacy, such efforts will remain as futile as spitting at the sky,” he added.

The Nehru Science Centre at Worli is the largest government-run science education institute in India. Sawant emphasised that the area surrounding the station is widely identified with the Nehru Science Centre.

The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) said the name of the station was decided as Science Museum in a 2013 notification. “As the actual name of the building is Science Centre, it was changed to Science Centre,” MMRC said.

However, Sawant said the government is referring to the 2013 draft notification. “It has been 12 years, and the BJP-led government changed the original name too. Why was Nehru’s name omitted?” he asked.

“They earlier changed the name of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library in Delhi to Prime Ministers’ Museum, and replaced Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS) with My Bharat. At the same time, they renamed Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad as Narendra Modi Stadium,” Sawant said in his post.

His criticism came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the final phase of Mumbai Metro Line-3 between Acharya Atre Chowk and Cuffe Parade last week. With the inauguration, the entire 33.5-km stretch of Mumbai’s first underground metro corridor, known as the Aqua Line, became operational on October 9, connecting Cuffe Parade to Aarey JVLR and marking a significant milestone in the city’s infrastructure development.