Mumbai should not be allowed to get ruined like Kolkata, says PM Modi

Mumbai, the economic capital of the country, should not be allowed to get ruined like Kolkata, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on April 28, in an exclusive interview with News18 Group's Editor-in-Chief, Rahul Joshi.

“Bengal has been ruined, Kolkata was once leading the economic growth, but is ruined by politics. Maharashtra should not be allowed to go down that route. Mumbai is the economic capital of the country. We should move ahead strongly in Maharashtra for the benefit of the country. We are conveying this sentiment to the people of Maharashtra, we are convincing them and the people of Maharashtra are giving us a very positive response,” the PM said.

Bihar and Uttar Pradesh too were reduced to unstable conditions earlier, he added.

The PM highlighted that Maharashtra has been seeing coalition governments for a considerable period now and for some time now, no chief minister has been able to serve the five-year term.

“There was Vilasrao Deshmukh… Even when Sharad Pawar became the Chief Minister, he was not able to do so alone with an absolute majority. Secondly, it has been Maharashtra’s misfortune that for some time now, no CM has been able to serve the five-year term. Devendra Fadnavis was the first person after a long time who served the entire term. The government then was clean and spotless. It was a government that worked for the welfare of the people,” he said.

The PM also highlighted the difference between the Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray, which broke an alliance in the state. "Those who fought elections with us, those who asked for votes from the people of Maharashtra with us, developed an ego due to their personal ambition of becoming the chief minister. Because of his ego and ambition, you (Uddhav Thackeray) betrayed this partnership that dated back to the days of Balasaheb Thackeray. People are angry about it and there is sympathy for BJP because of this,” he said.

Modi said that the party (BJP) has sacrificed for Maharashtra. “Some people thought that we wanted the CM’s seat. No. We could have taken the CM’s seat, but didn’t. We convinced the people of Maharashtra that we live for Maharashtra, not for ourselves. And in this election, this sympathy is in our favour that such a big party, with a chief minister who has been successful is now a deputy chief minister, has sort of put its self-respect on the backburner for the bright future of Maharashtra,” he added.

Noted economist Sanjeev Sanyal in a podcast aired on March 22 said that former West Bengal chief minister Jyoti Basu and the Communists destroyed not just the economy of Kolkata and Bengal, but the entire intellectual and cultural sphere. They destroyed the economy and cultural sphere to the point that Kolkata has never recovered from that shock, the economist said, but he blamed the 'poverty of aspiration' among people for the city's demise.  

Sanyal, currently a member of the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council (EAC-PM), said he grew up in Kolkata in 1980, and his strong distaste for socialism and communism came partly from the experience of watching how Basu destroyed Kolkata and West Bengal. 

"When I was born in the early 70s, Kolkata was the most important economic hub in India. It was one of the most important industrial hubs in Asia. And right in front of my eyes, it kind of fell apart. And I always say, Kolkata didn't die, it was murdered. And I'm a witness to that murder. That had a big impact on me," the economist said.