'Gujarat Is No Pakistan': Fadnavis Hits Back, Holds Uddhav Govt Responsible For Maha Losing Vedanta Deal

On Maharashtra losing the Vedanta deal, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that Gujarat is no Pakistan and it was healthy competition. He also held MVA government responsible for the result.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ( Image Source :PTI )

New Delhi: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said that Gujarat was "no Pakistan" and accused the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government of graft as the current dispensation faces the ire of opposition over Maharashtra losing the Vedanta-Foxconn semiconductor project.

The BJP leader claimed that a ten per cent commission had to be paid for availing of any subsidy when the Uddhav Thackeray-led government was in power and Gujarat surged ahead during this period, news agency PTI reported.

"Gujarat is no Pakistan. It is our brother. This is a healthy competition. We want to get ahead of Karnataka, everyone," Devendra Fadnavis said.

Devendra Fadnavis targeted the Shiv Sena without directly naming it as he said that the previous government opposed big-ticket projects like a refinery in Ratnagiri and Vadhavan port in Palghar, and for stalling the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train and Mumbai Metro phase 3.

Fadnavis said that after ttaking over as deputy chief minister he met Vedanta chairman Anil Agarwal and the state offered a tailor-made package to the company, but he was told that a decision to move the project to Gujarat was in its final stages.

"The decision was taken even before we came to power. When we came to power, we tried every bit. The ones who did nothing are pointing fingers at us," he asserted, as quoted by PTI.

He further claimed that Maharashtra fell behind Gujarat in attracting foreign investment during the MVA's tenure but the present government would take Maharashtra ahead in the next two years. 

According to him, the opposition's policy was to "stop everything", and with such policy Maharashtra could not beat Gujarat.

The former Maharashtra chief minister claimed that under his previous tenure, foreign investment in the state in 2013 was USD 6 billion which rose to USD 26 billion.

"Unfortunately, in the last two years our position slipped and Gujarat topped the list and it went from USD 3 billion to USD 23 billion and investment in Maharashtra came down from USD 26 billion to USD 18 billion," Fadnavis added.

One can not beat the neighbouring state by "simply making statements" but policies are needed for it, he remarked.

Without naming the MVA government, he alleged: "In the last two years, for every subsidy announced, a 10 per cent commission had to be paid....From 2014-19, not a single paisa had to be given. If you have to pay bribe for getting subsidy then imagine the situation."

Jamnagar refinery and Mundra port are key pillars of Gujarat's economy and the proposed refinery in Ratnagiri was supposed to be three times as big as the Jamnagar one, Devendra Fadnavis said.

Shiv Sena Criticises Shinde Govt For Losing Project That Was 'Almost Finalised'

After the Vedants deal was finalised, opposition leaders of Maharashtra criticised the Shinde government for letting it go. Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray criticised the Sena-BJP Maharashtra government as he said, "Although I'm glad to see this in India, I am also a little bit shocked."

The former Maharashtra minister stated that he had worked on the deal and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government had almost finalised it.

"For a project almost finalised, and a new dispensation claiming credit over it, only shows lack of commitment from the new dispensation for our State's progress," Aaditya said.

"Industries Minister Subhash Desai Ji, the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) and I myself held meetings for bringing this semiconductor project to Maharashtra. The MVA Government had brought this to the final stage. Under the MVA, our effort was to make Maharashtra, the lead state contributor to India's progress, just like other states in a healthy competition," the Shiv Sena leader stressed, as quoted by news agency ANI.

We Decided On Gujarat As It Met Our Expectations: Vedanta Chairman Anil Agarwal

Meanwhile, Vedanta Resources Ltd Chairman Anil Agarwal on Wednesday said that the company was still committed to investing in Maharashtra. He maintained that the company chose Gujarat for the deal on the basis of professional and independent advice.

"We decided on Gujarat few months ago as it met our expectations. But in the July meeting with Maharashtra leadership, they made a huge effort to outbid other states with a competitive offer. We have to start in one place and based on professional and independent advice, we chose Gujarat," he wrote in a series of tweets.

"We are committed to investing in Maharashtra. We will soon create a hub where Maharashtra will be part of our forward integration," Agarwal further stated. "Vedanta-Foxconn have been assessing the sites and engaging in dialogue with state governments for the last two years, and we hope to continue these conversations for the growth of our country in years to come," he added.

(With Agency Inputs)