Back in the game

Uddhav must be thankful to BJP for giving him an issue on the platter to stage a comeback

After the coup d’état in June by Shiv Sena’s henchman, Eknath Shinde in

connivance with the BJP, Udhav Thackeray and his leftover party must have been in disarray especially when it’s one of the most vocal members Sanjay Raut is in the custody of Enforcement Directorate. The jolt was so sudden and vigorous that it must have shaken the very foundation of the party. Its leaders looked clueless about how to fight it and make a comeback. That opportunity has come now and the party is in no mood to let it go. At the core is a multi-billion project that would give 100,000 jobs to the local people. The plant that was to come up in Maharashtra has been moved to Gujarat. The plant in question is a $20 billion project for building semiconductors. It is a joint venture between Vedanta and Taiwanese company, Foxconn, and the biggest so far. Maharashtra was the chosen place for setting up the plant but it was shifted overnight to the neighbouring State of Gujarat which is to go to polls shortly, much to the consternation of Eknath Shinde and his team. The sudden change has not gone down well with the people of Maharashtra for two reasons. One the Marathi sentiment has been hurt and they feel discriminated against, and the second it is pure economic loss for them and the State alike. The project would have meant a 1,00,000 jobs in Maharashtra and a handsome revenue to the Government.

Uddhav’s Shiv Sena has lapped up the opportunity and in all likelihood would make it a big issue of it in the upcoming Mumbai Municipal elections. They are appealing to “Marathi Manoos” for avenging this wrongdoing to their land. Aditya Thackeray is leading the fight from the front and is getting a good response. The slogan “outsiders looting the State” works like a charm in Maharashtra. Job creation has always been an emotional issue in the State. Besides, this is not the first time that a project has been stolen from Maharashtra and given to Gujarat. Earlier, the diamond market was shifted out of Mumbai to Gujarat which was frowned upon by the locals. It also puts Eknath Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis in a bad light for not protecting the interests of Maharashtra and playing

second fiddle to Modi and Amit Shah. But they hardly have a say as the Gujarat model must flourish before elections in Gujarat. Eknath and his team can fend for themselves in the Mumbai’s municipal election, the BMC, to be held shortly.

Source: The Pioneer