Agencies
Mumbai, Oct 6: Ahead of the Maharashtra polls, the Congress is seemingly trying to use the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) as a punching bag in its fight against the BJP.
On September 24, Industries Minister Narayan Rane, at a press conference, accused the Narendra Modi government of being anti-Maharashtra.
Rane said that "the centre was planning to reduce the importance of Mumbai as the financial capital of the country."
Rane told reporters that three divisions of RBI's forex department have been shifted to Delhi, which was nothing but "Modi government's attempt to lower Mumbai's position as an economic centre and financial capital of the country."
Since then, in every political rally in Maharashtra, Rane is raking up the RBI issue, claiming "it is anti-Maharashtra and biased decision of the Modi government". To an extent, Rane also blamed the Shiv Sena for supporting Modi in taking such steps.
Rane said: "If Bal Thackeray was in his place, he would have stopped all alliance talks and demanded that the three RBI divisions be brought back to Mumbai". Yet, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not replied back to the Congress' allegation in his Maharashtra rallies. But RBI officials have replied back, on conditions of anonymity.
While talking to Indiatoday.in, a senior RBI official said: "We would not like to get into these political stunts. But shifting of three divisions of Forex department was taken long back. In fact, a press release was uploaded by the RBI on its website in June 2014. We do not understand why issue is cropping up now? Also, there is no job shift happening. It was mere a technical decision - which we were planning for two years." On September 1, the RBI released a notification on website informing the shifting of three divisions. The notification issued to all authorised dealer banks said, "Attention of Authorised Dealer Category-I (AD Category-I) banks is invited to the Press Release dated June 17, 2014 which mentions the shifting of three divisions of Foreign Investment Division (FID) viz. Liaison/Branch/Project Office (LO/BO/PO) Division, Non Resident Foreign Account Division (NRFAD) and Immovable Property (IP) Division to New Delhi with effect from July 15, 2014. The address for correspondence for the three divisions is FED, CO Cell, Foreign Exchange Department, Reserve Bank of India, New Delhi Regional Office, 6, Parliament Street, New Delhi - 110 001, India." The press release, which this notification is talking about, dated June 17, 2014 also indicated, saying: "The Reserve Bank of India has today informed banks and other stakeholders that from July 15, 2014, three divisions of Foreign Investment Division (FID) will shift to New Delhi Regional Office of the Reserve Bank of India. The divisions are Liaison/ Branch/Project Office (LO/BO/PO) Division, Non Resident Foreign Account Division (NRFAD) and Immovable Property (IP) Division."
"The new FED, CO Cell will be headed by Shri P. Shimrah, General Manager who can be contacted on the official email. The divisions are at present located at 11th Floor, FED, Central Office Building, Mumbai 400001. The divisions will continue to be part of Foreign Exchange Department, Central Office, Mumbai," said the press release. If Rane had a problem about it, he could have registered his complain soon after the press release was uploaded on the RBI website and also soon after the notification was uploaded on September 1.
However, Rane claims to have written to former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan and National Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar to intervene in the matter. |
