Mumbai: Call it a meeting of superstardom with spirituality -- Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar met Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday at Mumbai's Trident Hotel. Later, the two were expected to confer over supper. Adityanath arrived in Mumbai late on Tuesday for a mega-'shopping' blitzkrieg in the country's commercial and entertainment capital.
CM Yogi took to his official Twitter handle and wrote in Hindi, "Today, the popular actor of Indian film industry in Mumbai @akshaykumar Ji and I had a meaningful discussions about various aspects of the film world. His understanding, dedication and constructivism towards his work is inspiring for the youth."
The UP CM's visit was aimed at attracting big money, business and glamour as takeaways and presenting a brand-new face of UP as an 'investor-friendly' state. On Wednesday, Adityanath will be meeting bankers and film personalities at Oberoi Hotel starting from 10.30am to 3 pm. He is expected to speak to the press afterwards.
Ahead of the UP CM's visit, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray took an aggressive posture on Tuesday, saying that he would not let anybody ‘forcibly’ take away businesses from the state. At the outset, Thackeray clarified that he did not hate others' progress but insisted that it should happen with fair competition. He was speaking at an event organised here by the IMC Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
He further told industry and business players that those seeking investments did not know the magnetic appeal of Maharashtra. “We are not afraid of competition. But if someone wants to forcibly take business away from the state, it won't be possible. I won’t let it happen,’’ he warned.
“Maharashtra has been a business-friendly state for decades and despite many states trying to move factories from here to their own states, the shift isn’t going to happen,’’ he opined.
Thackeray cited the 'Magnetic Maharashtra' tagline used to attract investments, adding, the state had its own strengths including its culture and institutions.
"Some people are coming today, they will also meet you all and ask you to come (for investments). But they do not know the magnetic pull (of Maharashtra), it is so powerful that forget about people going from here to there, it should not so happen that somebody from there comes here," Thackeray said. His comments are crucial, as UP CM Yogi Adityanath had lined up meetings with the industry leaders and representatives of Bollywood to roll out the red carpet for investments in his state.
Thackeray said the economy, which had suffered reverses because of the pandemic, was slowly reviving as the unlock process got underway.
Unlike demonetisation, which had led to 'disappearance' of money, Thackeray said the stress caused by the pandemic was not permanent and the money would come back into circulation once economic activity resumed.
Thackeray said, even during the pandemic, the state had attracted investments of over Rs 60,000 crore and these MoUs were in various stages of implementation. He informed that 70 per cent of the investment was underway through land allotment or other permissions. He added that the government had set an ambitious target of MoUs worth Rs 1 lakh crore by the end of the current fiscal.
Thackeray said the government was working on a single-window clearance for all those wanting to set up industries in the state.
