On Thursday, the Union Shipping and Ports Minister Nitin Gadkari hit out at the Indian Navy. Nitin said, “Actually, Navy is needed at the borders from where terrorists sneak in. Why does everyone in the Navy want to stay in South Mumbai? They had come to me, asking for a plot of land. I will not give even an inch of land. Please don’t come to me again.”
Nitin’s plan on promoting tourism includes a private firm, Rashmi Development Private Limited proposing to build a jetty to ferry its passengers. The private firm wanted to transport passengers to its five star hotel in the Arabian Sea. The Navy declined permission for building a floating jetty at Malabar Hill in South Mumbai. The Bombay High Court refused to give permission to a private company for the construction of the jetty as the company did not have a No objection Certificate (NoC) from the Western Naval Command.
Nitin said, “What has the Navy to do with Malabar Hill? Everyone wants to build quarters and flats on south Mumbai’s prime land. We do respect you but you should go to the Pakistan border and do patrolling.” Nitin further added, “We are the Government. The Navy and the Defense Ministry are not the Government.”
Countering Nitin Gadkari’s statement about the Navy, the State Congress General Secretary and Spokesperson Sachin Sawant said, “Gadkari says that the Indian Navy will not be given even an inch of land in Mumbai, they should go to Pakistan and China borders and why they are needed in Mumbai. This is an insult to the Indian Navy and he must apologise for it.” Sawant further questioned the motive behind Nitin’s attack on the Indian Navy. Sawant asked, “Why is he so much interested and pushing for the private jetty and floatel when the security of Mumbai is at stake?”
Sawant stated, “This needs to be investigated as it proves that the Bharatiya Janata Party’s nationalism is fickle and does not apply to private businessmen. Power has gone to their heads. That’s why they keep making such statements at regular intervals.” Sawan further asked, “The 26/11 strikes were carried out by Pakistani terrorists who came by the Arabian Sea route and Mumbai needs the security of the Indian Navy. The naval officers’ morale has been hit by use of such language by a Union Cabinet Minister. Is he trying to help Pakistan by throwing Indian Navy out of Mumbai?”
South Mumbai is home to a sizeable presence of the Navy and houses the Headquarters of the Western Naval Command. It also houses the Naval residential quarters at Navy Nagar in Colaba in South Mumbai.
