Modi govt moving towards ‘licence raj’ in country, says former Maharashtra CM Prithviraj Chavan
Raising the issue of several major investments going to the state of Gujarat, senior Congress leader and former Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan said there is a fear that the Narendra Modi-led Union government is bringing back “licence raj” by concentrating all powers in the Prime Minister.
“The way the Modi government is behaving it seems they are moving towards licence raj in the country which the Congress had brought to an end in the past. There are efforts to keep all powers of investments in the country with the Prime Minister. It is not good for the country,” Chavan told reporters.
The former chief minister said it was not only private investment that was being diverted from Maharashtra to other states including Gujarat, but government investment was also being diverted. “The Marine Police Academy was planned by the Congress in Maharashtra’s Palghar, but after Modi came to power it was shifted to Dwarka. The Modi government also shifted the International Financial Service Centre (IFSC) from Mumbai to Gandhinagar in the past and the then chief minister Devendra Fadnavis did not say a single word about it,” Chavan said.
The Congress leader pointed out that later, to enable foreign delegates to commute to Gandhinagar, the bullet train from Mumbai to Ahmedabad was conceptualised by the Modi government. “Who had demanded a bullet train in Maharashtra? It was forced on the state along with 50 per cent of the expenditure. If Maharashtra wanted a bullet train, it would be between Mumbai to Nagpur or Mumbai to Pune,” he said.
Many private investment plans have gone out of Maharashtra and many are more going, Chavan said, “The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) is saying the Union government will give much bigger projects to Maharashtra. They are moving towards a licence raj with all powers with the Prime Minister.”
He said private investors consider certain issues before launching their project, including political stability. “They notice political stability and watch unstable and uncertain situations closely as it would have an adverse impact on investments,” Chavan said, adding that there is uncertainty over the current state government and the Supreme Court would hopefully clear the situation at the earliest.
Chavan also spoke about the preparations by the local unit of the Congress for participation in the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ led by Rahul Gandhi during its Maharashtra leg. “There will be public awareness rallies in the city to encourage people to participate in the yatra. Representatives of civil society will be urged to join,” said city Congress chief Arvind Shinde.
The city unit will collect sand from various historical and prominent locations, along with water from various rivers, and hand it to Gandhi for carrying out a tree plantation during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, said former Congress chief Abhay Chhajed.
