Agenda of special Parliament session is to separate Mumbai and declare it UT: Nana Patole

Mumbai: Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole on Monday alleged the agenda of the upcoming special session of Parliament is to separate Mumbai from the state and declare it as a Union Territory.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi never called a special session of Parliament on COVID pandemic or issues like (2016) noteban or Manipur. The session is convened now as per the whims and mood of the government. This session will declare Mumbai as a union territory and separate it from the rest of Maharashtra,” Patole alleged while speaking to reporters.

The Centre has not spelt out the agenda of the special session to be held from September 18 to 22, triggering various speculations.

“Mumbai is an international city and the financial capital. Now, powerhouses of Mumbai such as Air India, the International Financial Services Centre, and the diamond market among others are being shifted out of the city," Patole alleged.

He claimed a plan is afoot to shift the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange to Gujarat.

Patole also alleged that as the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi government- comprising Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP, and Congress- was a major obstacle in such anti-state decisions, it was brought down by the Centre.