Mumbai: The Maharashtra Congress on Monday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for whisking off major projects and important government offices out of Maharashtra.
The latest salvo was fired when PM Modi, along with the visiting Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sanchez jointly inaugurated the prestigious Tata-Airbus C-295 Aircraft manufacturing facility in Vadodara, Gujarat on Monday.
Congress AICC General Secretary and Rajya Sabha Member Jairam Ramesh highlighted the issue prominently recalling how this particular project was to come up in Nagpur but was suddenly transferred to Gujarat two years ago, leading to an uproar in Maharashtra.
“This exact same project was supposed to be set up in Nagpur but was shifted to Gujarat in 2022 – on the eve of the Assembly elections there. One can only imagine the machinations that went on behind the scenes to ensure that Maharashtra lost out on this key investment,” said Ramesh.
Referring to other examples, the former union minister cited several instances, like the International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) that has been set up only in the GIFT City in Gujarat, though it was originally planned for Mumbai.
“The former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh in 2006 had begun the efforts to set it (IFSC) up in Mumbai. Land in Bandra Kurla Complex had already been set aside for the IFSC. But that was sabotaged, costing Mumbai potentially 2 lakh jobs,” Ramesh said.
He said that both Mumbai and Surat have worked together to develop India’s diamond industry for decades, with Surat handling cutting and polishing, and Mumbai handling trading and export.
“However, a new Bharat Diamond Bourse (BDB) was built in Surat. It is another matter that this move has failed entirely, with many diamond merchants moving their operations back to Mumbai,” he added.
Besides the Tata-Airbus project, Ramesh mentioned the (now failed) Vedanta-Foxconn chip manufacturing factory that was moved out to Gujarat, or the Textile Commissionerate Office based in Mumbai for more than eight decades abruptly shifted to Gujarat for no clear reasons, though the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) remain the textiles hub since decades.
The Dattopant Thengadi National Board for Workers Education & Development was also shifted from Nagpur to Delhi in 2021, and while the Centre sat on the demand for Classical Language status to Marathi for 10 years, despite sustained pressures from the Congress, it moved only to ensure it on the eve of the Maharashtra Assembly elections (Nov. 20), he said.
Ramesh reiterated that the Maha Vikas Aghadi or Congress don’t believe in playing favourites, but “we believe in the equitable development of the entire country”.
He also charged the ruling MahaYuti in this state for conspiring to ensure the wholesale surrender of Maharashtra’s interests in landing new projects or seeking central support.
“New infrastructure projects, special investment zones, and modern industry should benefit all Indians, and not one state alone. When the industrialisation of Gujarat was underway in the 1970s and 80s, projects like Gujarat State Fertilisers and Chemicals Limited (GSFC), Gujarat Refinery, and IPCL were set up without taking away projects from other states,” declared Ramesh.
Meanwhile, In-charge of BJP’s National Information & Technology Dept, Amit Malviya, slammed the Congress leader, saying, “Every word of Jairam Ramesh is unadulterated trash.”
He wrote on X, “Here are the facts. Claim 1 – One can only imagine the machinations that went on behind the scenes to ensure that Maharashtra lost out on this key investment (Tata-Airbus C-295 aircraft facility). This is not an exception.”
“Fact – If the Maharashtra Govt i.e., the Maha Vinash Aghadi – MVA – is so worried about losing out on this opportunity, why did it delay the signing of MoUs or Agreements to facilitate the establishment?
“As per the white paper tabled by the Maharashtra Govt, “The Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) had not signed any memorandum of understanding for procurement of land for the Tata-Airbus project.”
“Claim 2 – An International Financial Services Center (IFSC) has been set up only in GIFT City in Gujarat. Dr Manmohan Singh in 2006 had begun the effort to set it up in Mumbai. Land in Bandra Kurla Complex had already been set aside for the IFSC. But that was sabotaged costing Mumbai potentially 2 lakh jobs.
“Fact – India’s first IFSC was approved at the GIFT city in 2011, when Dr Manmohan Singh was the Prime Minister of India. Looking at the dynamic opportunities and future-ready infrastructure being built under Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, the GIFT was chosen as the site for India’s first IFSC.
“Mumbai was not chosen as the IFSC because the RBI (again, under Dr Manmohan Singh’s tenure) had rejected the proposal in 2004. A report by the High Powered Expert Committee on Making Mumbai an International Financial Centre in 2007 claims that Mumbai suffered from problems like – “inadequate infrastructure, massive, congestion, rampant pollution, along with poor standards of urban governance and law enforcement.”
“What did the Maha Vinash Aghadi Govt do to remedy these problems? Was it not the MVA that stalled crucial infra projects like Metro, Bullet Trains etc with its politically motivated agendas?
“Claim 3 – In addition to the Tata-Airbus manufacturing plant, the (now-failed) Vedanta-Foxconn chip factory was also diverted from Maharashtra to Gujarat.
“- The White Paper, presented by the Maharashtra Govt, has pointed out that the MVA refused to consider or discuss the Foxconn project – in fact, it failed to take it up in high-level discussions. It was the MahaYuti Govt, which was the first to discuss the project in a high-powered committee.
“A meeting of a high-powered committee took place on March 17, 2022, under the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA. However, it did not take up the project for discussion.”
“Other laments include: 1) The Textile Commissionerate Office, based in Mumbai for 80+ years, was suddenly shifted to Delhi last year, for no clear reason whatsoever, despite the fact that the Mumbai metropolitan region (MMR) remains a huge hub of textiles.
“Response: Shri Devendra Fadnavis has already clarified only the Commissioner and other officers have been asked to function from Delhi on a temporary basis to increase synergy and enhance cooperation.
“Even the official order states that “This restructuring exercise would involve shifting textile commissioner and few key officials to the Ministry of Textiles (MoT) to strengthen the technical arm of the Ministry.”
“2) The Govt sat on the demand for classical language status to Marathi for ten years, only moving to ensure it on the eve of the Assembly Elections – after sustained pressure from the Indian National Congress and civil society organisations in Maharashtra.
“Response: This is akin to Congress claiming credit for its ideas even when UPA or MVA failed to implement or even initiate the process for the same. Be it Aadhar, DBT, GST or Classical status to languages – the Congress and its allies are thinking of claiming credit, just like they were used to, before. They must remember that that ribbon-cutting, zero accountability era of programme implementation is now over.”
He concluded his post by saying, “All that Congress and Rahul Gandhi’s cheerleaders do – is spread #FakeNews all day.”
(IANS)
