'Don't Trust Fadnavis': MVA Targets Mahayuti Over Tata-Airbus Project Ahead Of Maharashtra Polls

Ahead of Maharashtra elections, the MVA has sharpened its attack on the BJP-led Mahayuti, accusing it of moving the Rs 40,000-crore Tata-Airbus project from Nagpur to Gujarat at the behest of PM Modi.

The MVA-vs-Mahayuti battle over a Rs 40,000-crore Tata-Airbus project has intensified ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections. On Wednesday, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut launched a sharp attack on Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis over the shifting of the Tata-Airbus project to Gujarat. Raut also urged voters not to trust Fadnavis's claims regarding the project.

According to Raut, an investment worth Rs 40,000 crore was initially planned for Nagpur, Fadnavis’s hometown, which was expected to generate 10,000 jobs. However, he claimed the entire project was moved to Gujarat by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah.

Raut, who is part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance said, “The project was inaugurated yesterday. Fadnavis should talk about that. Stop talking talk on what happened in Sharad Pawar’s time or ours. I’m talking about today. Don’t bring up yesterday; it’s outdated. Focus on today’s reality.”

What Is The Controversy Over Tata-Airbus Project?

The controversy began when the Opposition targeted PM Modi during the inauguration of the Tata-Airbus C-295 aircraft production facility in Gujarat's Vadodara on October 28. Senior Congress leader alleged that the project was supposed to be set up in Nagpur, but was shifted to Gujarat in 2022 on the eve of the assembly elections there. "One can only imagine the machinations that went on behind the scenes to ensure that Maharashtra lost out on this key investment," he said.

He went on to list several projects and investments that were allegedly moved out of Maharashtra to Gujarat or Delhi to hurt Maharashtra's development prospects.

Sharad Pawar, too, claimed on Tuesday that when Modi became the PM, he called Ratan Tata and told him to set up the factory in Gujarat instead of Maharashtra.

In response, Fadnavis posted on X: "At this age, there is no need to lie so much... Jairam Rameshji yesterday and Sharad Pawarji today." Fadnavis claimed that during the tenure of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, Tata officials visited the MADC office in Nagpur but received no response. "Be it Tata Airbus, Foxconn, or any other project — MVA leaders have been consistently lying," he alleged.