One or two projects going out won't affect Maharashtra, says Raj Thackeray

The Maha Vikas Aghadi slammed Raj after his statement on the issue of the flight of projects from Maharashtra to other states including Gujarat

Prime Minister Narendra Modi should look at all the states equally and not just favour Gujarat, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena President Raj Thackeray said even as he pointed out that a couple of projects going out of the State do not affect much.

The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi has slammed Raj after his statement made in Pune on the issue of the flight of projects from Maharashtra to other states including Gujarat.

Over the last few months the MVA had been targeting the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government over two big-ticket investment projects - Vedanta-Foxconn semiconductor project and Tata-Airbus defence aircraft manufacturing project - which were planned in Maharashtra but later shifted to Gujarat.

“Two or two projects going out of Maharashtra will not make any difference to the state. This is because Maharashtra is ‘shrimant’ (rich) in all aspects…there is nothing to worry, we are ahead in many aspects,” Raj said in a public interview given to a veteran journalist, writer and political analyst Prakash Akolkar at the 18th Jagtik Marathi Sammelan organised by Dr D Y Patil University and the Jagtik Marathi Academy in Pune’s sister town of Pimpri.

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However, Raj also said that the Prime Minister should look at all the states. “He should treat all states like sons and not just Gujarat,” he said.

Immediately reacting to the statement, Leader of Opposition in Assembly Ajit Pawar of the NCP said: “It is not done…we can’t support the projects going out of the state.”

Pawar’s counterpart in Council Ambadas Danve of Shiv Sena said: “Raj speaks after taking ‘supari’ (contract).”

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But Raj’s criticism of Modi has come as a surprise as of late as he had been close to the state leadership of the BJP. In the recent past, Raj had met Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

During the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Raj had targeted Narendra Modi and then BJP President and now Home Minister Amit Shah. But once the alliance between Shiv Sena and BJP broke, he took up the cause of Hindutva besides the issue involving Marathi-manoos.