Month after Maharashtra lost the Vedanta-Foxconn project to Gujarat, the Eknath Shinde government is under fire again for losing yet another project to its neighbouring state. The Opposition has cornered the Shinde government over the announcement that the Rs 22,000 crore Tata-Airbus C-295 transport aircraft manufacturing project will be set up in Vadodara.

Claiming that businesses have lost their faith in the state since Shinde replaced his father Uddhav Thackeray as Chief Minister, Aaditya took to Twitter and wrote, “Another project! I have voiced this since July, asking Khoke Sarkar to try for it (Tata Airbus). I wonder why every project is going to other states in the last 3 months. Loss of faith in khoke sarkar is evident on industry level. Will the industry minister resign after losing 4 projects?”

The Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) also sought the resignation of the Industry Minister Uday Samant.

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Last month, Samant had announced that the Tata-Airbus project will be set up near Nagpur in the Vidarbha region. Addressing the media in Pune, Aaditya lashed out at the Shinde government asking why several projects were moving out of the state. “This is the fourth project that has gone away from Maharashtra since the traitor government has come to power. They always boast that they have a double-engine government, but although one engine of the central government is working, the state government’s engine has failed,” said Aaditya, as reported by The Indian Express.

Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi also took to Twitter and wrote,”…this project has gone to Gujarat too, while they were busy counting 50 Khoke & doing ji hazoori in the Delhi Darbar. Maharashtra state continues to suffer at the expense of their cheap politics. Shame on them.”

In another tweet, Chaturvedi wrote, “Vedanta Foxconn, Medical Device Park, Bulk Drugs Park and now Tata Airbus….All out of Maharashtra thanks to 50 khoke sarkar.”

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NCP’s Mahesh Tapase, addressing the media, attacked Shinde for his “sheer incompetence” and claimed that the Maharashtra CM had lied to the state when he said that the Tata-Airbus will come up in Nagpur, after the Foxconn project was awarded to Gujarat. Tapase, while pointing out UK PM Liz Truss’ resignation, said that Shinde should follow suit as he has been unable to safeguard the state’s interests.

Dismissing the allegations, Samant said that the memorandum was already signed under the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government last year.  Talking to the media, Samant said that he had stated earlier that the Shinde government would try to bring the project back. However, it was too late, he claimed, blaming the MVA government for failing to secure the project.