Mumbai: Despite criticism over allowing foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail and aviation, Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan Tuesday said that reform had redefined the relationship between politics and economy.
"These are exciting times. Decisions taken today may appear to be small, but they are momentous ones, which have redefined the relationship between politics and economic decision making," Chavan said at an All India Management Association (AIMA) event here.
Supporting the central government's decision, he said that it was the right time to take them or else it would have haunted the country later.
"In the last few weeks, we have seen objections over opening up certain sectors and an uncertainty still hangs over it. Thankfully, the Prime Minister decided to act and the coalition government at Delhi decided to back it up. That process is still on. If we had not taken those decisions, perhaps, we would have paid a huge price later on," he said.
Chavan lamented that opposition parties blindly rejected the proposal without considering changes that would be brought about.
"I feel sad that certain political parties have taken a purely political stand. When they come to power, they support the very same policies that have been put in place. Opposition has merely been for opposition's sake and stopping institutions of governance for political ends," he said.
Chavan said that Maharashtra will continue to be a leading industrial state and the state government is trying to eliminate Mumbai's infrastructural deficit.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, September 25, 2012, 20:34