MVA to blame for state falling behind Gujarat: Dy CM Fadnavis

Mumbai: Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday slammed the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government for the state’s No. 4 position, trailing behind Gujarat, and revealed that Vedanta-Foxconn with Gujarat was was already at an advanced stage when the Maha Yuti made a final bid to woo them to Maharashtra. Fadnavis spoke on the issue for the first time following his visit to Russia, at a function organized by a small scale industries association in Mumbai.

Fadnavis said a few days after their government came to power on June 30, he learnt from MIDC officials that Vedanta-Foxconn was on the verge of signing the agreement with Gujarat and if Maharashtra delayed making a pitch, the semiconductor project could move to the neighbouring state. He said he immediately spoke to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and initiated talks for a meeting.

“I even used my personal relations with Vedanta chief Anil Agarwal, and went to his house. We assured him that we would offer a better package than Gujarat. However, he said that the talks with Gujarat were at an advanced stage, and it may not be prudent to go back on it,” Fadnavis said, adding that despite that, the government held a meeting with the Vedanta-Foxconn officials and offered the best package. Fadnavis said, “So the decision to go to Gujarat was already made, but we still made a last-ditch attempt to bring the project to Maharashtra. Those who have not done anything in 2.5 years are now blaming us. They should say what they have achieved. Even if the MVA government has taken the state backwards, we will take it No 1 again.” Fadnavis also questioned the Shiv Sena on its opposition to the Nanar refinery. “The refinery would have brought an investment of Rs3.5 lakh crore, and created five lakh jobs. If the refinery had started, Maharashtra would have leapt 10 years ahead. But, there was opposition, and we lost the project,” he said. He added that Wadhwan port a natural deep draft and any large vessel could dock, opening opportunities of making it one of the biggest international ports. “During the recent visit to Russia, they were complaining that it takes longer time to ferry cargo to JNPT, which accounts for 76% of cargo across India. There is scope for another large port. If a large port and a large refinery come to Maharashtra, the two projects alone will take the state miles ahead of other states,” he said.