After Maharashtra lost the mega Vedanta-Foxconn project to neighbouring Gujarat, the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government came under fire, with Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray leading the charge.
The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA)—a coalition of Nationalist Congress Party, Indian National Congress and Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena—lashed out at the Shinde-Fadnavis government for missing out on the project because of sheer mismanagement, and called it “a betrayal of the people” of Maharashtra.
In June, the Anil Agarwal-led Vedanta Group and Taiwan-based electronics manufacturing giant had announced plans to set up a facility at Talegaon in Pune, with an investment of Rs 1.63 lakh crore. Vedanta is headquartered in Mumbai.
However, according to media reports, the facility will now be set up in Gujarat.
Lashing out at the government—of Bharatiya Janata Party and the rebel Shiv Sena faction led by Shinde—Aaditya, son of Shiv Sena president and former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, said he was at a loss of words.
“Although I’m glad to see this in India, I am a bit shocked to see this. The new dispensation had tweeted photos, claiming to have brought this to Maharashtra, but it seems intent/commitment was to send this away from Maharashtra. Our MVA government had brought this to the final stage. I held meetings bringing this semiconductor project to Maharashtra. For a project almost finalised, and a new dispensation claiming credit over it, only shows lack of commitment from the new dispensation for our state’s progress,” Aaditya said.
State NCP president and former finance minister Jayant Patil alleged that once again Gujarat snatched away a major project from Maharashtra, while the Shinde-Fadnavis government was busy holding political rallies.
“With Gujarat elections coming up, the Maharashtra BJP seems to be safeguarding the interests of the neighbouring state…Will the chief minister and deputy chief apologise to the educated, unemployed youth of this state for losing this huge and rightful employment slots,” Patil asked.
Congress general secretary Sachin Sawant said: “This is betrayal of Maharashtra by the Shinde-Fadnavis government. Then chief minister Fadnavis had declared in 2015 that Foxconn would invest USD 5 billion. The MVA tried to make it happen. The government changed, and it’s gone to Gujarat, just like how IFSC was taken away with an aim of weakening Maharashtra and benefiting Gujarat.”
Mumbai BJP President Ashish Shelar, however, wanted to know from MVA leaders why the MVA government did not give a better package to the venture. “First answer that and then ask questions,” he said.
While the chief minister didn’t make any statement in this regard, deputy chief minister Fadnavis was in Russia, on an official visit.
Meanwhile, Congress leader and former state minister Balasaheb Thorat on Tuesday claimed that discussions about setting up Foxconn's semiconductor plant in Maharashtra were almost complete but something "sinister" took place which made the company shift the location to Gujarat.
As Indian conglomerate Vedanta and Taiwanese electronics giant Foxconn inked a pact to set up a semiconductor and display manufacturing unit in Gujarat, the opposition in Maharashtra slammed the Eknath Shinde-led government for "losing out" on the big-ticket project.
“The Foxconn plant was expected to bring investment of nearly Rs 1.58 lakh crore to Maharashtra. Ninety per cent of our discussions regarding the plant had been completed," said Thorat, a revenue minister in the previous Uddhav Thackeray-led government.
“Something sinister took place which made the company shift its plant from Maharashtra to Gujarat. Nearly one lakh new employment opportunities would have been created with this plant," he added.
He wanted to know what CM Shinde and deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis did to keep the project in Maharashtra, he added.
(With inputs from agencies)