Mumbai: Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath with Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar during a meeting, in Mumbai, Dec 1 (PTI)The Shiv Sena on Wednesday hit out at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for his attempts to reach out to Bollywood personalities and said it is not easy to shift Mumbai’s Film City elsewhere even though attempts have been made for it.
Shiv Sena MP and party’s chief spokesperson Sanjay Raut was talking to reporters amid Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s ongoing two-day visit to Mumbai where he is meeting film personalities and industrialists. Adityanath had earlier unveiled an ambitious plan to set up a film city and rolled out an open offer to the film fraternity to come to Uttar Pradesh.
“It is not easy to shift Mumbai’s film city to any other place. It is okay to make a big project. But what happened to a film city that was set up in Noida a few years ago? Will he share the status of that film city? The film industry in south India is also big and there are film cities in West Bengal and Punjab too. Will Yogi Ji also visit these places to interact with the producers and actors? Or does he have a problem with Mumbai only?” asked Raut while speaking with media persons.
“Earlier, attempts were made. It is difficult to replicate Mumbai’s film industry elsewhere. Mumbai has a glorious film history and past,” Raut further said. He also asked if Uttar Pradesh CM will shift Bollywood actor’s bungalows such as Jalsa, Pratiksha and Ramayan.
The state BJP unit has also said there was no question of shifting Bollywood outside Mumbai as the film industry has a special attraction and appeal, which is not possible outside Mumbai.
On Tuesday, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had said no industry will go out of the state, but industries from other states will come to Maharashtra. “Some people are coming today and will meet you urging you to come (for investment) to their state. But they are not aware of our magnetic power. It is so powerful that no industries from Maharashtra will go to their state. Instead, the industries from other states may come to Maharashtra,” said Thackeray at an event of the IMC Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He urged the IMC to be the brand ambassador of Maharashtra as that will encourage investment in the state, not just from the other parts of the country but abroad as well.
During his visit to Mumbai, Yogi Adityanath is scheduled to meet industrialists, personalities from the film industry today. He also listed Rs 200 crore Lucknow Municipal Corporation bond at the Bombay Stock Exchange today.