On Saturday, senior BJP leader and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis while slamming Uddhav Thackeray government on issue of International Financial Services Centre (IFSC), said “some people have a selective memory when they want to blame everything on Prime Minister Narendra Modi”.
Taking to Twitter, Devendra Fadnavis wrote: "Some people have a selective memory when they want to blame everything on Hon PM @narendramodi ji’s Government ! High Power Committee of GOI submitted a report in February 2007 to create #IFSC . Neither Govt of Maharashtra submitted an official proposal nor GOI considered it."
In a series of tweets, Fadnavis said: “In 2007, at Vibrant Gujarat Summit, the then Gujarat CM Narendra Modi had announced GIFT City Ahmedabad to be developed as IFSC and appointed ECADI for its planning. But in 2015, Central government enacted a law to govern IFSC and immediately Gift City proposal was submitted and eventually Mumbai’s proposal was also submitted. GIFT city was in advanced stage so it got approval and Mumbai BKC proposal faced technical problem for want of 50 hectare contiguous land.”
"A solution was found to it & again a proposal was sent after appointing consultants and making all the plans. The Central government also took into account the IFSC plans at BKC while planning the bullet train station & station is planned in such a way that IFSC building will come on it," tweeted Fadnavis.
He went on to say those who are speaking about it now were in power from 2007 to 2014 and did nothing for Mumbai IFSC. "The headquarters is announced at Gandhinagar because as of now it is the only functional IFSC. Those who are beating the chest now were in power from 2007 to 2014 & did nothing for Mumbai IFSC and that void was captured by the then CM Hon Narendra Modiji," Fadnavis tweeted.
He further said Mumbai has a natural IFSC ecosystem and it can still become IFSC if Maharashtra Government desires.
The IFSC Authority is a unified agency to regulate all financial services in international financial services centres in the country and was notified earlier this week. It will be located at the Gujarat International Finance Tech City in Gandhinagar.
