'BJP suffers from an allergy to the name Nehru': Congress after name of former PM dropped form Metro station

The entire country knows that the area in Worli (where the Metro station is located) is identified by the name Nehru Science Centre, Sachin Sawant said.

Mumbai: The Congress slammed the BJP for dropping the name of former Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru from one the stations of the Mumbai Metro Line-3 - popularly known as the Aqua Line, which passes underground the financial capital of India.

Saying that the “BJP suffers from an allergy to the name Nehru”, the Congress wanted to know why the station has been named as Science Centre and not Nehru Science Centre, which is located next to the station in the Worli area of Mumbai.

It may be mentioned, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his two-day visit to Mumbai, last week, dedicated the nation, the Aqua Line, which is an engineering marvel.

“Those who cannot showcase their own achievements find satisfaction in merely wiping out others' names. The Nehru Science Centre in Mumbai was known by the name of the country's first Prime Minister 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,” Congress legislature party leader Vijay Wadettiwar said.

"The BJP's fear of Pandit Nehru's name and the narrow-mindedness they have shown is indicative of their ideological bankruptcy. No one can erase Nehru's contributions. Because he didn't discover gas in a drain; instead, he established ISRO with a scientific perspective,” he added.

Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant said: “Entire India knows that the area in Worli is identified by the name Nehru Science Centre."

"Even in the post by Mumbai Metro 2 , the location is listed as the Nehru Science Centre under the Discovery Hubs section. 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.”

“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. 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. 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.”

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, has now decided to disrespect yet another legacy of India - they have removed the name of Nehru and named the Metro 3 station merely Science Center."

“Our first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was a pioneer in promoting scientific temper in the country. It was under his vision that India got a slew of academic and scientific institutions like AIIMS, IIT and foundations of ISRO were laid. The BJP and RSS on the other hand have always been trying to erase not just this legacy but the culture of scientific inquiry in this country,” she said.