PM Modi had called the MoU “an important step accelerating India’s semiconductor manufacturing ambitions”. Holding Prime Minister Narendra Modi responsible for multi-million dollar projects “going away from Maharashtra”, MNS chief Raj Thackeray said on Sunday just because the PM is from Gujarat does not mean he should give priority to his state. “It does not suit his stature …,” he said.
The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief’s remarks seemed to allude to last year’s developments when a political blame game had erupted in Maharashtra after a joint venture of Indian mining conglomerate Vedanta and Taiwanese manufacturing giant Foxconn signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Gujarat government to set up its new semiconductor plant in the state.
PM Modi had called the MoU “an important step accelerating India’s semiconductor manufacturing ambitions”.
Opposition parties had then blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the PM for “taking away” the project out of Maharashtra ahead of the Gujarat Assembly elections.
While speaking at the 18th Jagtik Marathi Sammelan organised by Dr D Y Patil University and the Jagtik Marathi Academy in Pimpri, Thackeray said, “The Prime Minister should treat all the states like his children and they should be given similar treatment. Just because he is from Gujarat does not mean that he should give priority to Gujarat… It does not suit his stature”.
However, replying to questions during an interview session, he said, “One or two projects going out of Maharashtra will not make any difference to the state. This is because Maharashtra is rich in all aspects. It is ahead of several on several fronts. There is no need to worry about the fate of Maharashtra. Even if we protect whatever we have, we will still remain ahead of others.”
To a question relating to the state of politics in Maharashtra, Raj said, “The politics in Maharashtra has fallen to a new level. National icons are being brazenly insulted…”
Opposition parties, however, targeted Thackeray over his remark that one or two projects going out of Maharashtra won’t make any impact on the state. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Vinayak Raut said, “Raj Thackeray seems to have taken “supari” of BJP. It is not about one or two projects… at least five projects have gone away from Maharashtra, mainly to Gujarat. The projects went to Gujarat with an eye on the state elections…It is unfortunate that Raj Thackeray is making such statements.”