The Missing 'Nehru': Mumbai Metro Station Fuels Naming Controversy

A fresh political row has erupted after the Mumbai Congress accused the state and the BJP-led central government of deliberately dropping "Nehru" from the name of the Metro Line-3 stop that serves the well-known Nehru Science Centre in Worli.

The party demanded that the station be renamed Nehru Science Centre and called the omission "an insult" to the memory of India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.

The core of the controversy is the Metro's decision to omit "Nehru" from its station publicity material, which identifies the stop simply as Science Centre or Science Museum. This move conflicts with the official identity of the Nehru Science Centre, a large, government-run science education institution situated on Dr E Moses Road in Worli.

The Mumbai Congress has argued that the omission was deliberate and politically motivated.

In a post on X, circulated by local Congress leaders, the party described the move as reflecting a "narrow-minded, vindictive and intolerant" approach. The statement then called for an immediate reinstatement of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru's name on the station.

Citing earlier changes - including the controversial renaming of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library in Delhi - the Congress argued that the station name omission was evidence of a broader pattern of erasure.

The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC), which operates Metro Line-3, responded that it used the official nomenclature because the station name was recorded as "Science Museum" in a 2013 notification.

MMRC officials told media that the shorter station name was justified because the actual building is officially named "Science Centre."

The inconsistency is further highlighted by the MMRC's own social media, which promotes Line-3 station facilities by listing nearby "Discovery Hubs" that include the Nehru Science Centre and the Nehru Planetarium.

The Congress views the Worli controversy as the newest example of administrative and symbolic moves meant to erase Nehru's public presence. The ruling side, however, explains the station's shortened name by referencing legacy paperwork and technical naming conventions established during the project's initial planning.

While the Congress demands the immediate reinstatement of "Nehru" based on public sentiment and the museum's established identity, the MMRC defends the current station label by strictly adhering to its official nomenclature and archival paperwork.