Tussle over Maharashtra losing projects: Ashish Shelar cites unions' harassment of industries to slam Sanjay Raut

Mumbai: Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar on Monday slammed Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut for his tirade about projects leaving Maharashtra and alleged trade unions affiliated to the Uddhav Thackeray-led party were harassing industrial units in the state.

Leaders of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi, comprising Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP) and Congress, have routinely accused the Eknath Shinde government of not being able to stop projects and investments from moving to other states, notably neighbouring Gujarat.

In a message on X, Shelar said companies like L&T, Mahindra, Khambata, AFL Logistic and Pune-based Bajaj Auto Ltd left Maharashtra due to the pressure from such unions.

Shelar also questioned the opposition to projects like Vedanta Foxconn, the refinery complex in Barsu in Konkan and the mega port in Vadhavan in Dahanu and said such moves contradicted the narrative that Maharashtra was losing out on industrial development.

Raut and his party are now sitting with the Congress of SK Patil and Morarji Desai (then chief minister of Bombay State) that opened fire on agitators fighting to unite Mumbai with Maharashtra, an apparent reference to the Samyukta Maharashtra movement and the incident of November 21, 1955 in which 106 persons were shot dead at Flora Fountain.

"The hands of Congress have the blood of Marathi people who sacrificed their lives for Maharashtra state. History will never forgive you. You (Raut) are acting like a mad person who thinks the whole world is crazy except him," Shelar claimed.