After Congress flays BJP for ‘deliberately ignoring’ Nehru in Metro station name, latter pulls out 2013 gazette where Cong had itself omitted Nehru’s name from station
An entry-exit point of the Mumbai Metro Aqua Line 3’s Science Centre station in Worli. PIC/ASHISH RAJE
The BJP turned the tables on the Congress after the latter accused it of dropping ‘Nehru’ from the name of the Science Centre station on the newly opened Mumbai Metro Aqua Line 3. While Congress alleged the BJP was allergic to the name of India’s first Prime Minister, the BJP hit back, claiming that in 2013, when Congress was in power, the station name was mentioned as ‘Science Museum’ instead of Nehru Science Centre in the government gazette.
Sachin Sawant, a Congress leader from Maharashtra, took to X on Monday to point out that the Metro station near the iconic Nehru Science Centre was named Science Centre. “BJP seems to have an allergy to the name Nehru. The omission of the late Prime Minister's name from the station is an insult to a personality who played a key role in shaping India’s modern outlook,” Sawant added, demanding a rectification at the earliest.
Keshav Upadhye, chief spokesperson, Maharashtra BJP
The Congress leader also claimed that this was not the first time that the BJP had indulged in “such petty politics”. Sawant claimed that the BJP government had earlier changed the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library in New Delhi to the Prime Minister’s Museum, and even the Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan had been renamed as My Bharat. Sawant told mid-day, “This is nothing but a pattern of erasing historical figures and rewriting history.”
BJP's counter
Mumbai BJP President Ameet Satam, speaking to mid-day, refuted the charges. The three-term BJP MLA from Andheri also shared the gazette. “The BJP has no role in this. It was when the Congress ruled Maharashtra that the Nehru name was dropped from the Metro station,” he stated.
Satam slammed the Congress, saying, “It has nothing to show regarding the work done when it was in power in the state and at the Centre. Hence, the Congress is raking up such issues.” Even Maharashtra BJP chief spokesperson Keshav Upadhye took a dig at the Congress. “The Congress had the maximum number of Prime Ministers. But, it was during the Congress rule that the BJP leadership was treated as untouchable,” Upadhye added.
A diagram in the September 19, 2013 government gazette where the station is referred to as Science Museum
He further claimed that under the BJP regime, the achievements of every Prime Minister had been displayed under one roof in New Delhi. The BJP leader added, “Why is Congress feeling so insecure? The identity persists and does not get washed away or erased merely because a station is not named on the same lines.”
The Aqua Line
Mumbai’s Metro Line 3, also known as the Aqua Line, was fully opened to the public from Thursday. The underground line covers a total distance of 33.5 km from Aarey JVLR station in Jogeshwari East to Cuffe Parade. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the final stretch (a 10.99-km section between Acharya Atre Chowk, Worli Naka and Cuffe Parade) of the project on Wednesday. The Metro was launched in stages over the past year.
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