Aaditya Thackeray after Vedanta picks Gujarat: Investors don’t trust Maharashtra govt

The Shinde-Fadnavis government should pay attention to investment instead of manhandling workers and brandishing weapons, the Yuva Sena chief says, referring to the recent clash between two Shiv Sena factions. 

Aaditya Thackeray. (File)

Shiv Sena MLA Aaditya Thackeray criticised the Maharashtra government led by Eknath Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday over the Vedanta group’s plan to start in Gujarat a semiconductor unit that “the previous government had been trying to bring to Pune”.

“It is clear that because the Vedanta group doesn’t trust the current dispensation in the state, they have moved to Gujarat. The government does not want to bring investments to Maharashtra. The Shinde-Fadnavis government should pay attention to bringing investment instead of manhandling workers and brandishing weapons,” the Yuva Sena chief said, referring to the clash between the two Shiv Sena factions in Dadar and the allegation that rebel MLA Sada Sarvankar fired from his licensed pistol.

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“We were working to bring this project to Pune, and had held meetings and visits for it for the past one year. The current government had assured that they would take it forward and assured us that this project would come up in Maharashtra. However, today I am a bit shocked to read the news that such a big project has gone to Gujarat,” said Thackeray, who was a minister in the Maha Vikas Aghadi government led by his father, Uddhav Thackeray.

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“The MVA government had done so much work on the project and given all the support, but this project did not come here. This means that new investors do not trust the current government,” he said. “My only request is that the government should try to bring big industries to our state so that the youth of Maharashtra can get jobs.”

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The Shiv Sena MLA also said Vedanta chief Anil Agarwal was wiling to invest in Maharashtra and that “almost everything but documentation” was over. According to Thackeray, the Rs 1.50-lakh-crore project would have employed thousands and helped 100-150 ancillary industries in the state.

“We held meetings with Vedanta’s Anil Agarwal-ji and he had said he was satisfied with everything. In June also, we held a meeting… The new CM tweeted in July that the project is coming to our state. Now I want to ask what exactly happened in one month…Why Gujarat?” the young MLA said.

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Thackeray said two-three big projects were coming to India and that the government should ensure they come to Maharashtra.

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