Maharashtra: Shiv Sena slams BJP over ‘poisonous’ Nanar project

Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray. Calling the project “poisonous”, the Sena said imposing the project on the people of Konkan region despite their opposition was akin to Emergency. (Prashant Nadkar)

The Shiv Sena on Friday slammed the BJP over the government’s announcement that the Nanar refinery project would progress as planned. Calling the project “poisonous”, the Sena said imposing the project on the people of Konkan region despite their opposition was akin to Emergency. The Uddhav Thackeray-led party added that the issue reeks of dictatorship by the governments led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

An editorial in the party mouthpiece, Saamana, said PM Modi should “shut down” the Ministry of Environment at the Centre and in the state. “This project will destroy mangoes, jackfruits, agriculture land, rivers, etc in Ratnagiri. The people may suffer from diseases such as cancer, tuberculosis and chest-related ailments due to the poisonous project. The project will turn the air and water into poison. If it is still imposed on the people despite their opposition to it, it is an Emergency. It is a dictatorship by governments led by Modi and Fadnavis,” the editorial said.

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On June 25, an Indian consortium of Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation signed an MoU with Saudi Aramco — a Saudi Arabian national petroleum and natural gas company—to jointly develop and build an integrated refinery and petro-chemical complex, Ratnagiri Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd, in Maharashtra.

The editorial added that if the BJP leaders wanted to act as dictators, then their talk against the Emergency was a “farce”. “Like Hitler killed lakhs of Jews, this project is also a conspiracy to kill the Konkani people,” the Shiv Sena said.