Patole seeks White Paper on Davos deals; slams Fadnavis govt for agreements with liquor firms

Mumbai: Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole on Friday said the Devendra Fadnavis government must release a White Paper on the investments received and jobs generated from MoUs signed during previous visits to the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Addressing a press conference, Patole said Fadnavis has informed that 61 MoUs were signed entailing investments of Rs 15.70 lakh crore and having the potential to create 15.95 lakh jobs.

"While significant investments in Maharashtra are welcome, the public has the right to know the specifics of these agreements and the reality behind them. Similar grand announcements have been made in the past as well. The Mahayuti government must release a White Paper on investments and job creation from previous deals at Davos," Patole said.

Of the 61 companies that have signed agreements with the Maharashtra government in Davos this time, 51 are based in India, of which 43 are from Mumbai and Pune, he said, adding only 10 are foreign-based.

These include a Rs 1,500 crore deal signed between CIDCO and Book My Show, despite Mumbai police investigating the firm for black marketing of Coldplay concert tickets, Patole alleged.

Another agreement was with Hiranandani, a company under probe for preparing fake documents related to demolition activities in Powai's Jay Bhim Nagar and for an EPFO scam being investigated by CBI, Patole further alleged.

Is the government encouraging black marketing by collaborating with such firms, he asked.

Despite Article 47 of the Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP) in the Constitution asking states to work towards prohibiting consumption of intoxicating drinks etc, the Maharashtra government has signed a Rs 750 crore deal with alcohol manufacturer Heineken and a Rs 1,500 crore deal with beer producer AB InBev, Patole claimed.

Does the BJP-led government want to turn Maharashtra into a liquor state, he asked.

A deal was signed with Dhanashree Mandhani's PRYM Company in Jalna to manufacture drones, Patole said.

The target is to produce 6,000 drones and the company claims it has a 10000 square foot factory but no such facility exists, he alleged.

The company only assembles parts of knocked-down drones imported from abroad, Patole alleged.

While Fadnavis was in Davos, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai came to Mumbai and secured investments worth Rs 6000 crore for his state, the Congress leader pointed out.

Similarly, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav visited Pune and met entrepreneurs to attract industries to that state, he added.

MP and Chhattisgarh, incidentally, are ruled by the BJP.

The Maharashtra government must bring genuine investments into the state instead of misleading people in the name of Davos, Patole said.

Hitting back, BJP leader Pravin Darekar said Patole and the Congress' stand amounted to being "anti-Maharashtra".

"Maharashtra was the talk of the town in Davos as it was among the six Indian states that took part in the event. The Congress should not level baseless allegations. Patole is making desperate attempts to save his post of state Congress chief," Darekar claimed.

"If the Congress takes an anti-Maharashtra stand, then it will continue to lose its support base as was seen the assembly polls," he added.

Meanwhile, Patole expressed grief at the blast in the ordnance factory in Bhandara and claimed even defence sector firms are not safe under the Narendra Modi government. The explosion occurred in the LTP section of the ordnance factory in the Jawahar Nagar area around 10.30 am.

"The factory, which manufactures raw materials for RDX, is critical. A thorough investigation into the explosion should be conducted by a committee of MPs from all parties," he demanded.

Asked about Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray hinting at contesting (civic) polls independently, Patole said he welcomed the move.

As the leader of Shiv Sena (UBT), Thackeray has the right to decide on his party's strategy, he said.

"Since local body elections have not yet been announced, Congress will make its decisions after consulting office-bearers when the time comes," Patole asserted.