Tata-Airbus: NCP, Sena demand resignation of Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde, Industries Minister Uday Samant

Alleging that the BJP installed the Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government to take away all the key projects from Maharashtra to Gujarat, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief spokesperson Mahesh Tapase told The Indian Express Sunday, “One after another, key projects which could further push the development of Maharashtra and provide jobs to lakhs of youths are being taken away from the state. Every other project seems to be heading for Gujarat. This only highlights the fact that the BJP installed the Shinde-Fadnavis government to play its dirty political game.”

The NCP said Shinde should own moral responsibility for key projects going to Gujarat and resign the way British prime minister Liz Truss did. “The chief minister should take responsibility for Maharashtra getting hit economically. The British PM resigned after 45 days in power over the economic crisis. Similarly, Chief Minister Shinde should quit owning moral responsibility for the failure of his government. The Maharashtra government led by Shinde has failed to protect the interests of the state and its people,” Tapase said.

“A surgical strike is coming from Gujarat through the BJP and even as the strike hit Maharashtra, the chief minister remained a mere spectator and did nothing to reduce the state’s sufferings, Tapase said. “After the Vedanta project went to Gujarat, the chief minister said the Tata-Airbus project will come to Nagpur. Now his lie has been exposed and he should quit his office,” he added alluding to Gujarat beating Maharashtra to land a joint venture of mining conglomerate Vedanta and Taiwanese manufacturing giant Foxconn.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena’s Uddhav Thackeray faction asked Samant to quit. “At least four major projects have gone elsewhere. The Shinde-Fadnavis government is pulling Maharashtra back. The industries minister has no clue about the way his department functions. The project has already gone to Gujarat and he is busy harping on bringing it back. He should instead resign,” said Sena MLA and former minister Aditya Thackeray at a press conference in Mumbai Saturday.

“If the Tata-Airbus contract was signed a year ago, then why would Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari write a letter to the Tata Group asking for the location of its project in Nagpur? The industries minister knows nothing about his ministry,” added Aditya Thackeray.

State Congress spokesperson Gopal Tiwari, however, said his party was not demanding the resignation of the ministers because it thinks the government itself is “illegal and unconstitutional”. Tiwari said, “The government’s fate is in the hands of the Supreme Court, where its constitutional validity has been challenged. Every day is a bonus for the government. Unfortunately, every day is bringing a bad day for Maharashtra as the state is losing key economic development projects. The latest project, Tata-Airbus, only highlights the fact that the government installed by the BJP in the state is a puppet government meant to deprive the people of Maharashtra of a development agenda.”

“Already it is an illegal government. And now, its dubious role as the one working against the interest of Maharashtra has been exposed. This government should be dismissed forthwith,” he said.