Multiple projects on 'waiting list' to come to Maharashtra: Union minister Narayan Rane

Narayan Rane. File Pic

Multiple projects from overseas are "waiting" to come to Maharashtra and the Eknath Shinde-BJP government will provide conducive environment to industrialists to set up their units, Union minister Narayan Rane said on Tuesday, comments coming in the backdrop of the state losing out on some mega ventures in the last few months.

The Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), in Pune to attend an exhibition organised by the FICCI Ladies Organisation, said the recent criticism of the Shinde-led government over some projects moving to adjoining Gujarat was political in nature.

In an apparent dig at the erstwhile Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said those in power till a few months ago had failed to bring new projects to the state.

"Multiple projects from the world are on waiting list to come to Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra. The state government will provide suitable environment for these projects," said Rane without elaborating.

The Maharashtra government faced criticism from the Opposition after two mega projects, Vedanta-Foxconn chip plant and Tata-Airbus manufacturing unit -- originally planned to come up in the state -- moved to Gujarat.

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"It is indeed a political criticism to say that projects shifted out from Maharashtra. Those who were in power until yesterday are criticising because they themselves failed to bring new projects to the state," Rane added.

Asked about Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra, which entered Maharashtra on Monday night, the BJP leader dismissed the mass contact programme as "Bharat Todo Yatra" and claimed many people were deserting it.

"Wherever Rahul Gandhi has gone as part of the yatra, the Congress is in poor shape in that region," said Rane, who had a stint in the opposition party after leaving the Shiv Sena.

Rane declined to comment when questioned about Maharashtra minister Abdul Sattar's alleged derogatory remarks on Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MP Supriya Sule.

On the Opposition demand for 'wet drought' in parts of the state where heavy rains have caused large-scale damage to crops, he said the state government is already providing financial assistance to affected farmers without making such a declaration.

The BJP leader also targeted former chief minister and his bete noire Uddhav Thackeray, saying he failed to provide any relief to farmers when he was in office.

"States and the Centre have certain rules before declaring 'wet drought'. What happened to Uddhav Thackeray's promise of giving an aid of Rs 50,000 to each farmer?... did he give it when he was in power for two-and-a-half years? A Chief Minister who was at 'Matoshree' (the private residence of the Thackerays) for two-and-a-half years should stop criticising (the Shinde-led government)," Rane added.

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