‘Eknath Shinde has gone again to perform Mujra in Delhi’: Uddhav Thackeray on Vedanta-Foxconn chip plant
Edited By: Divya Thearia
22 September 2022 (New Delhi): Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray criticised Chief Minister Eknath Shinde for not speaking to Prime Minister Modi about the billions worth Vedanta-Foxconn semiconductor plant deal, which was recently moved to Gujarat from Maharashtra. Thackeray criticises Shinde, saying, “CM Eknath Shinde has gone again to perform ‘Mujra’ in Delhi today. Why are Maharashtra projects being transferred to other states? Why doesn’t he bring this up with the Prime Minister? Is he afraid to speak up about it?”
What is the reason for this political firestorm?
This political firestorm has erupted in Maharashtra after Vedanta-Foxconn opted for Gujarat for its ₹1.54 lakh crore semiconductor plant. Members of Maharashtra’s ruling and opposition parties have blamed each other for the multibillion-dollar project slated for neighbouring Gujarat. The joint venture semiconductor project proposed by Indian conglomerate Vedanta and Taiwanese electronics giant Foxconn to be built near Pune city will now be built in Gujarat.
Thackeray government blames BJP
According to the Thackeray government, “When their government was in power, they tried everything they could to get the chip plant for Maharashtra. However, once Shinde and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took control of Maharashtra, the deal with Vedanta-Foxconn shifted into Gujarat’s hands.”
Now the plant will be set up in Gujarat
On the one hand, the Thackeray government is holding Shinde and the BJP accountable. The Shinde government, on the other hand, has accused the Thackeray-led MVA government of offering tax breaks on foreign liquor instead of for the project, and that if it had done so, the project would have remained in Maharashtra. In the end The Vedanta and Foxconn signed an MoU with the Gujarat government in Gandhinagar to establish the semiconductor and display manufacturing unit. Vedanta, an Indian oil-to-metals conglomerate, and Foxconn, the Taiwanese electronics conglomerate, have formed a joint venture to build the plant in Gujarat.