Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Saturday alleged that residents of Barsu village in Maharashtra's Ratnagiri district were being brutally attacked by the police for an "Islamic" oil refinery project from Saudi Arabia even as there was a "Hindutvawadi" government in the state.
Talking to reporters, Raut also claimed that there was no coordination between Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on the proposed refinery project. His remarks come a day after the police used tear gas in Barsu and Solgaon villages in Rajapur tehsil to disperse the protesters who are opposing the refinery, and detained Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Vinayak Raut.
On Tuesday, more than 100 protesters, mostly women, were arrested for protesting against the project. A section of local residents are up in arms against the project as they fear that the mega project will adversely affect the fragile biodiversity of the coastal Konkan region and also hit their livelihood. The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena is supporting the protesters. "There is no coordination in the government.
In the case of Barsu, the coordination is only between the Saudi Arabia company, an Islamic company…and (there is) a Hindutvawadi government. For an Islamic oil refinery, Marathi manoos from Ratnagiri, the sons of the soil, are being attacked. This is their (the government's) Hindutva," Raut said.
The Rajya Sabha member maintained that there was no confusion in the party on the Barsu issue. Notably, local MLA Rajan Salvi, who is also from the Shiv Sena (UBT), has come out in support of the project.
The project, Ratnagiri Refinery and Petrochemical Limited, was going to be Asia's 'biggest oil refinery', and was proposed to be built at Nanar village in Ratnagiri. It was supposed to be a joint venture between Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum, and Saudi Arabia-owned Aramco and United Arab Emirates' National Oil Company.
However, after opposition from locals, the then chief minister Uddhav Thackeray suggested Barsu as an alternative land to the project. On Friday, CM Shinde said the proposed refinery project will not be implemented without the local people's consent, and appealed for calm in the area.
"We are a people's government and we are not against them. We will not proceed without the local people's consent,' the chief minister added.