It is not hidden that the prime minister Narendra Modi has always wanted to bring Gujarat ahead of other states. He does not look at all the states equally. But I had never thought that the then Fadnavis government would show his first choice Gujarat and ignores his own state Maharashtra.
When the International Financial Services Center (IFSC) was proposed in Mumbai, the central government planned to take it to Gujarat and the then ruling BJP leaders from Maharashtra worked in the interest of Modi and deceived own state, claimed Sachin Sawant, General Secretary and spokesperson of Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC).
Sawant further added that Mumbai is the financial capital of the country and many corporates have headquarters. “Mumbai is always seen as the hub of national and international financial affairs. Institutions like Reserve Bank of India, SEBI, Stock Exchange, etc. are in Mumbai. Therefore, the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government wanted the country's IFSC to be set up in Mumbai,” said Sawant.
As per the report submitted by Dr. M Balachandran's committee in 2007, the IFSC should be located in Mumbai. Apart from lakh of job created in the state through the IFSC, it would have increased the importance of Mumbai internationally.
Meanwhile, Gujarat was setting up Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT) in Ahmedabad for the growth of industries, and Modi came to power in the country. And, the proposal was tabled to take the IFSC to Gujarat. Unfortunately, Maharashtra BJP leaders helped in execution and deceived their own state.
It was only Congress who raised voice against this decision, following which the then state BJP government had set up a task force headed by Jayant Sinha, a former minister of State Finance to look the feasibility of IFSC in Mumbai. Within two years, it became clear that the task force was an eyewash to the people of Maharashtra.
The Congress again raised its voice and then Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shelar said that when the Devendra Fadnavis discussed the then finance minister, a second IFSC was allowed at the cost of state government. But that was too proved to be a blatant lie.
While replying to a question by Gujarat BJP MP Ramsinh Rathwa in the Lok Sabha, the then Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had said that a global financial services center had been set up in Gujarat and no other financial center could be considered. Therefore, it is highly condemned that the then ruling BJP leaders in the state not only worked against the interests of Maharashtra but also misled for five years, said Sawant.
In order to fight against the Coronavirus in the state, instead of contributing to CM COVID-19 accounts, all the BJP MLAs, MPs, and corporators contributed to the Prime Minister's Care Fund. Sawant also alleged that BJP leaders in the state have helped in shifting some other projects of the state to Gujarat when they were in power.
