Congress slams bjp over dropping Nehru’s name from Science Centre station

A massive controversy erupted over the naming of a railway station in the new Mumbai Metro-3 line on Monday, as the Opposition Congress castigated the ruling BJP on Monday, after the state-run Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd  (MMRCL) christened one of the stations as a mere “Science Centre” by dropping Nehru’s name from it.

Demanding to know as to why the new Metro-3 station had been named as “Science Centre” and not as Nehru Science Centre, which is located next to the station in the Worli area of Mumbai, the Opposition Congress charged that the ruling BJP suffered from an allergy to Nehru’s name and that was why it had dropped the name of India’s first Prime Minister from the station’s name.

The controversy over the dropping of Nehru’s name from a new Metro station broke out within days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the Mumbai Metro Line-3, popularly known as the Aqua Line, to the nation. Several Congress leaders, including Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Vijay Wadettiwar, Mumbai Congress President Prof Varsha Gaikwad and senior Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant, came down heavily on the ruling BJP over dropping of Nehru’s name from the new Metro-3 station.

Flagging the issue, a furious Sawant said that the Worli area station was listed as ‘Nehru Science Centre’ in the official Discovery Hubs list, but is now shown as ‘Science Centre’ station. “The entire country knows that the Worli area in Mumbai is identified by the name Nehru Science Centre. However, owing to its allergy to the name of Nehru, the BJP has deliberately omitted his name and listed the (Worli) metro station simply as ‘Science Centre’. This is highly objectionable and a great insult to the memory of Jawaharlal Nehru who was a globally renowned statesman,” Sawant said.

“Those who cannot showcase their own achievements find satisfaction in merely wiping out others’ names. The Nehru Science Centre in Mumbai was named after Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, but the name of the metro station there has been changed to simply Science Centre. The truth that trying to cover the sun doesn’t bring the night is once again underscored by such actions,” CLP leader Wadettiwar said.

“It is the fear of Pandit Nehru’s name and its ideological bankruptcy that have prompted the BJP to drop the name Nehru from the station. No one can erase Nehru’s contributions. Nehru didn’t discover gas in a drain; instead, he established ISRO with a scientific perspective,” Waddettiwar said, while poking fun at PM Narendra Modi.

Mumbai Congress president Prof Varsha Gaikwad said the BJP Government which added a corporate sponsor’s name in front of the name of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj for its metro station, had now decided to disrespect yet another legacy of India - they have removed the name of Nehru and named the Metro 3 station merely Science Centre.

“Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was a pioneer of the scientific outlook in the country. It was because of his vision that the foundation of ISRO was laid, and numerous educational and scientific institutions like AIIMS and IITs were established. He was known for scientific temper… The BJP and RSS have an aversion to science, but their feeble attempts to erase Pandit Nehru’s contributions are known to everyone,” Gaikwad said.

“Until now, the Science Centre in Mumbai has been known by its full name, the Nehru Science Centre. But this Government, always eager to erase the history of independent India, has omitted Nehru’s name and named this new metro station merely as Science Centre. This is not just a mistake but a deliberate attempt to wipe out history,” Gaikwad said.

Slamming the ruling BJP for its “petty, intolerant, and vindictive mindset”, Sawant said: “Earlier, the BJP renamed the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library in Delhi as Prime Ministers’ Museum, and replaced the name of Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS) with My Bharat. In Ahmedabad, the BJP re-christened Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium as Narendra Modi Stadium. Pandit Jawaharlal 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,” Sawant said.

On its part, the MMRCL has not yet reacted to the controversy.