Aaditya Thackeray slams Shinde govt for letting go of Vedanta-Foxconn project

Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray has sought to know why the investment of Rs 175 lakh crore in a semiconductor manufacturing project by VedantaFoxconn Rs 154 lakh crore as per the company has gone to Gujarat though it was confirmed to come to the state when his fatherrsquos government was in power Senior NCP leaders Ajit Pawar and Jayant Patil and Congressrsquos Balasaheb Thorat also joined the chorus against the shiftMaharashtra industry minister Uday Samant said the package the then MVA government had offered to the joint venture of R156 lakh crore was less attractive than Gujaratrsquos and his government was prepared to better the deal but the company chose the neighbouring state Speaking at the Shiv Sena Bhavan on Tuesday Thackeray said the joint venture had chosen a site in Talegaon and accepted the deal the MVA government had offered ldquoEven the current CM tweeted in July that the project would stay in Maharashtra If so then what has happened in one month Why has the current dispensation which I donrsquot consider a legal government allowed the project to be taken to Gujaratrdquo he asked while demanding an answer from the Maharashtra CMAaditya Thackeray exministerAccording to Thackeray only 5 per cent of the work in terms of signing a memorandum of understanding was remaining ldquoI met Vedanta chairman Anil Agarwal in Davos to discuss the project He was satisfied Later then industry minister Subhash Desai and officials met the Foxconn chairman in Delhi I was deeply upset when I read Agarwalrsquos announcement today I was upset not because the project has gone to Gujarat but because it hasnrsquot stayed in Maharashtra where it could have brought about 200 allied units and created over one lakh jobs Gujarat has done its job but the Maharashtra government hasnrsquotrdquoThackeray said investors have lost confidence in the current government The MLAs are firing bullets and beating officials he said adding that the law and order and the ecosystem that investors need were missingCongress leader Satyajit Tambe urged Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to urgently look into the matter and bring the project back to Maharashtra ldquoSuch a project has never been implemented in the entire world except in Korea not even in China Vedanta group was bringing this technology for the first time where Maharashtra had the opportunity to generate thousands of jobs and ancillary units which would have further generated opportunities for the youthrdquo he saidAlso Read Maharashtra Resign and Face elections Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray tells Eknath Shinde campTambe said on September 29 last year he had written to cabinet minister Piyush Goyal urging to set up a semiconductor facility in Nashik ldquoEarlier last month as well Vedanta and Foxconn delegation had met Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde and deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis for the proposed investmentrdquo he said adding that the project required 1000 acres of land free of cost on a 99year lease and water and power at concessionary and fixed prices for 20 yearsWe tried our best SamantIndustry minister Samant said his government was equally upset ldquoThackeray and Patil should introspect and answer why they have failed in offering a better deal to VedantaFoxconn Now they should not block a refinery which is double the investment of a semiconductor projectrdquo he said in response to the allegationsHe said the ShindeBJP government was told by the company about the shift saying that the deal was better than Maharashtrarsquos ldquoWe contacted them immediately and offered an even better package We also held discussions but the company stayed put on its stand despite our hard effortsrdquo he told mediapersonsldquoIf they want to blame us then they should answer why they failed in giving a better deal The then government knew that the JV was in talks with Gujarat for two years and yet it failed to convince the investor We are not crestfallen We will talk with other semiconductor companies to set up their plants in Maharashtrardquo he saidHe said while the opposition cried foul over a semiconductor project it was trying to block the Rs 35 lakh crore Nanar refinery project ldquoPlease donrsquot do it for the sake of the staterdquo he addedFadnavis could not be contacted because he is in Russia on an official visitAgarwal thanks PM GujaratAnnouncing the project Vedanta Group chief Anil Agarwal thanked PM Narendra Modi for his ldquovisionrdquo of creating a robust manufacturing base in India ldquoIt will reduce our electronics imports amp provide 1 lakh direct skilled jobs to our peoplegoing from job seekers to job creatorsrdquo he tweeted