MUMBAI: A major controversy erupted on Saturday over the central government decision of setting up the newly created International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) authority to Gandhinagar,Gujarat instead of Mumbai, Maharashtra.
Maha Vikas Aghadi leaders accused the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP for deliberately reducing the importance of Mumbai by shifting an important finance centre to Gujarat.
NCP chief Sharad Pawar said the Centre’s decision to set up the newly created International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) Authority in Gandhinagar is "disappointing, and a move against Mumbai’s established status as the nation’s financial capital."
“The stature of the Prime Minister is such that he/she should always rise above his/her state. The decisions should be broad, inclusive and of a national level. Therefore, we will urge Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reconsider the decision and retain Mumbai’s status as an international financial services centre,” Pawar said.
"Mumbai is the financial capital of India. Many financial institutions are located in Mumbai. Mumbai had first right to have this IFSC but Narendra Modi shifted it to his home state Gujarat. This is very unfortunate that Prime Minister is only looking after his own state and depriving another state,” said Maharashtra Congress president Balasaheb Thorat.
However, Leader of Opposition and BJP MLA Devendra Fadnavis tried to defend the BJP-led central government's decision of relocating IFSC to Gandhinagar saying it happened because of the Congress government only. Fadnavis also tweeted the screenshot of the expert committee report front page about IFSC. Replying to Devendra Fadnavis, former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan lambasted and that before tweeting and posting any government documents, Fadnavis should read what it was written on the page. “The front page of the report clearly mentions that committee for IFSC in Mumbai, so where is the question of Congress role here,” Chavan said.
Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant said Mumbai is the pride of India and Maharashtra but the deliberate effort has been made by centre to reduce the importance of Mumbai as the financial capital city. “I have raised this issue in Lok Sabha also, but forcefully the IFSC centre was located to Gujarat. This is an injustice to people of Maharashtra,” Sawant said.