As Gujarat bagged the project of India’s first semiconductor plant, Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray on Tuesday hit out at the Eknath Shinde-led government for letting go off “an almost finalised” deal out of Maharashtra.
The Rs 1.54 lakh-crore venture by the mining conglomerate Vedanta, Thackeray said, was brought to a final stage of being set up in Maharashtra under the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.
The project will now be set up in Ahmedabad.
Sharing the news of the project on Twitter, Thackeray said, “Although I’m glad to see this in India, I am a bit shocked to see this. The new dispensation had tweeted photos, claiming to have brought this to Maharashtra, but it seems intent/ commitment was to send this away from Maharashtra.”
“Our MVA Govt had brought this to final stage,” Aaditya Thackeray added.
Although I’m glad to see this in India, I am a bit shocked to see this.
New dispensation had tweeted photos, claiming to have brought this to Maharashtra, but it seems intent/ commitment was to send this away from Maharashtra.
Our MVA Govt had brought this to final stage. (1/n) pic.twitter.com/ePbevT6tLi— Aaditya Thackeray (@AUThackeray) September 13, 2022
The move has caused the state a loss of $20 billion semiconductor projects to and around 1 lakh jobs, according to The Hindu.
Thackery further highlighted how under him the previous government had held several meetings to get the project in Maharashtra. “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,” he said.
Thackeray, however, wished the industry and the company well as “its success will lead to a new horizon opening up for India.”
This comes as Anil Agarwal-led Vedanta Limited and Taiwan’s Foxconn signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with the Gujarat government on Tuesday.
The project will be set as the country’s first semiconductor plant with a display fab with an investment of Rs 94,500 crore, along with an integrated Semiconductor Fab Unit and OSAT facility with an investment of Rs 60,000 crore, according to ANI.
Apart from Thackery, Shiv Sena leader Priyanka Chaturvedi also blamed the “ED sarkar” for letting it go. “MVA Industries Minister Sh. Subhash Desai ji and Environment Minister Sh. Aaditya Thackeray had initiated the discussion up to the final stage. The government fell and the ‘ED’ sarkar claimed credit for it & used it for PR news in July. Now in September handed it over to Gujarat,” she tweeted.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also spoken on the project. In a tweet, Modi said, “MoU is an important step accelerating India’s semiconductor manufacturing ambitions. The investment of Rs 1.54 lakh crore will create a significant impact to boost the economy and jobs.”
“This will also create a huge ecosystem for ancillary industries and help our MSMEs,” he added.
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