Centre denies reverting to old names Bombay, Madras

The Centre on Wednesday categorically denied that it has reverted back to the use of anglicised versions of the names of Bombay and Madras. The two major cities had been renamed Mumbai and Chennai respectively by the state governments concerned.

"There is no intention of doing so," an official statement said while clarifying press reports that the United Front government has reverted to the names of Bombay and Madras.

The state government's were free to change the names of places, but it was the Centre which will exercise its freedom to adopt the new names or stick to the old, the home ministry statement said.

The Congress party has said it will strongly opposed any move to revert to the name Bombay from Mumbai.

At its regular press briefing at New Delhi on Wednesday, party spokesman V N Gadgil said if the United Front government persisted with the reported move, the Congress may reconsider its support to the coalition government at the Centre.

A section of the press had recently reported that the name Bombay would be in official use as the international community was more familiar with it.

Gadgil said the Congress leader from Bombay Ramu S Deora has, in a fax message to the Congress party, stated that he raised the matter with home Secretary K S Padmanabhaiah. In the communique, Deora has termed the news item as baseless.

UNI