The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) on Thursday trained guns on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over his visit to Mumbai to attract investment in his state, saying there will be objection if he “snatches away” industries from the western state. Shiv Sena (UBT) chief spokesperson and MP Sanjay Raut questioned the need for Adityanath to hold a roadshow in Mumbai to attract investment in his state. “If he wants to meet industrialists and invite them to UP for setting up projects and industries, then we do not have any objections to that. He can come and meet industrialists to attract business and investment. But if the intention is to snatch Maharashtra's projects, then we have an objection. Also what is the need for doing a roadshow in Mumbai for investment? I wonder if he is here for politics or to seek Maharashtra's help to attract investment in his state. Our CM and deputy CM are going to Davos to attract investment. But are they going to do a roadshow there? Like Yogiji is doing,” Raut told medispersons. “If he wants to meet people from the film industry, there is nothing wrong in it. But if Yogiji wants to set up a film city in UP.. no one can take away the film industry from Mumbai," he added. Raut announced that Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray will hold a mega rally in Nashik in January. The rally comes against the backdrop of several Thackeray-led Sena leaders, officer-bearers and workers joining the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led faction in the recent past. Claiming that the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government was working tirelessly to ensure other BJP-ruled states snatch Maharashtra’s investments, Congress state chief Nana Patole said laying red carpet for Adityanath is a part of the plan. “Law and order condition in Uttar Pradesh is extremely bad. Industries need safe environment to grow. as a result industrialists are not willing to go to Uttar Pradesh. Yogi Adityanath’s politics of religious polarisation is yet another reason due to which industries are unwilling to go there. But Maharashtra’s ED (Eknath-Devendra) government is making efforts to send state’s investment there,” Patole told mediapersons. The Congress leader alleged that the Shinde-Fadnavis government is trying to reduce Mumbai's importance. “If the UP CM wants investment, what is the need to do a roadshow in Mumbai? Which industrialists are going to stand on the road and meet him?” he asked. Claiming attempts were made during the MVA regime to purposely defame Bollywood, Patole said BJP has an eye on Mumbai’s film industry. “When MVA was in power, many producers, actors and actresses were defamed and pressured. An attempt was made to create an image that the film industry in Mumbai is a den of drug addicts. Now once again, there is an attempt to take the film industry to Uttar Pradesh and the government in the state is helping them,” he alleged. State NCP spokesperson Cylde Crasto sought to know when will Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis go to Uttar Pradesh or Gujarat and ask people there to “dream in their state, but make it reality in Maharashtra in form of investment?” Countering the Opposition attack, Fadnavis asserted no one can take away businesses from Maharashtra. “Mumbai being the financial capital of India, it is natural for all state heads to come here to explore investment opportunities. It shows the inherent strength of Maharashtra and Mumbai,” Fadnavis told mediapersons. He added, “Nobody takes away anybody's business investments. Each state has its distinct geography and natural advantages, which it tries to tap. Accordingly, investors chose their destinations for specific projects. A healthy competition is welcome. A state like Maharashtra has nothing to fear, as it will be an investor's destination.” Last year, the Shinde-Fadnavis government faced flak over big-ticket projects like the Vedanta-Foxconn semiconductor plant and the Tata-Airbus aircraft venture preferring Gujarat over Maharashtra.
