Surat Diamond Bourse May Cause Job Losses In Mumbai, Claims Sharad Pawar

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar has raised concerns over the move to shift the diamond trade from Mumbai to Surat. The comment came the day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Surat Diamond Bourse. Earlier, diamond trade used to take place in the Bandra Kurla Complex of Mumbai.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Surat Diamond Bourse on Sunday, the world”s largest and most modern center for the international diamond and jewelry business.

“Those who are in power today do not have the power to think about the country. The Prime Minister will inaugurate the diamond business in Surat. Earlier, diamond trade used to take place in the Bandra Kurla Complex of Mumbai; now it has been shifted from here to Gujarat,” Sharad Pawar said while speaking at his party”s Swabhiman Sabha at Maharashtra”s Raigad on Saturday.

The decision to shift the diamond trade to Surat may lead to job losses for lakhs of people, he said.

“Lakhs of people got employment due to this market. Due to the diamond trade going to Surat, the local people will lose their jobs,” Sharad Pawar said.

The NCP chief also claimed that due to the NAINA project (Navi Mumbai Airport Influence Notified Area), the employment resources of farmers are being “snatched.”

“Due to this, along with farming, the employment resources of the farmers are also being snatched away,” he said.