Mumbai: After losing a dedicated manufacturing zone for power and renewable energy equipment (pilot project) to Madhya Pradesh, the opposition and ruling parties engaged in a verbal duel.
This was the fifth project after the Rs 22,000 crore Tata Airbus project, the $20 billion Vedanta Foxconn, the bulk drug project and the medical device project that Maharashtra has lost to other competing states. The ministry had offered to provide a financial assistance of Rs 400 crore for the project. Apart from Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, states like Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Telangana were vying for the project.
Blame game begins
Opposition parties including NCP, Shiv Sena UBT and Congress have slammed the state government while Shinde camp and BJP have blamed the Maha Vikas Aghadi government for the state losing the Centre’s industrial cluster scheme to Madhya Pradesh.
Shiv Sena UBT leader Mr Aaditya Thackeray claimed,’’ Maharashtra’s economic isolation. Seems like we have sanctions imposed on our state after khoke sarkar took power. This project was proposed for Butibori, Nagpur, by MVA on June 22.
Sachin Sawant slams BJP
The state Congress general secretary Mr Sachin Sawant said, ‘’BJP leadership definitely has a grudge against Maharashtra. Had it not been the case, projects would not have flown to other states whenever BJP was in power.’’ He further added, ‘’I have said it before. Now let me say it again. As long as the BJP is in power in the state, Maharashtra will continue to regress. This double engine government of BJP is pulling back Maharashtra at double speed.’’
The state NCP chief spokesman Mr Mahesh Tapase accused the Shinde Fadnavis government of merely making announcements as it has failed to stop the shifting of key projects to other states. ‘’The Shinde Fadnavis lacks an answer on how there will be job creation in the state. Either it can provide an answer about how the state will expedite industrial progress,’’he claimed.
CM Shinde denies opposition charges
However, CM Mr Eknath Shinde denied opposition charges and claimed that the state government is committed to bringing new investments.
The Deputy Chief Minister Mr Devendra Fadnavis said the complete timeline of the project was during the Maha Vikas Aghadi government. ‘’The central government has decided to make three such industrial clusters of which one of these has been allotted while two more are to come. Central government is implementing projects in different states. Proposals are invited from all states of which projects are approved in one or two states. It is wrong to say every time that the project has gone out of Maharashtra. It defames the state,’’ he noted.
The state BJP chief Mr Chandrashekhar Bawankule blamed the MVA government and former chief minister Mr Uddhav Thackeray for the loss of projects.
