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Shinde-Fadnavis under fire from Oppn for losing yet another project to Gujarat
The Centre announced that a manufacturing facility for production of C-295 transport aircraft for IAF by consortium of European defence major Airbus and Indian conglomerate Tata will come up in Vadodara
Mumbai: The Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government came under opposition fire on Thursday after the Centre announced that the ₹22,000-crore C-295 transport aircraft manufacturing plant will come up in Vadodara despite the ruling coalition’s attempt to house the joint venture at the Multi-modal International Cargo Hub and Airport (MIHAN) in Nagpur.
The chief minister as well as other ministers made trips to the National Capital last month and were also in talks with Union ministers, ever since the mammoth $19.5 billion Vedanta-Foxconn semi-conductor plant went to Gujarat last month.
Thursday’s development comes as a major embarrassment for Shinde, who had made statements assuring that the PM had promised him “bigger and better” projects for Maharashtra.
It gave the opposition ammunition to attack the CM for losing out on yet another big-ticket project to Gujarat, and a chance to reiterate its claim that Shinde’s alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was hurting the state.
“Another project! I have voiced this since July, asking Khoke Sarkar to try for it. 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?” Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray wrote in a post on Twitter.
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) accused Shinde of incompetence and sought his resignation, saying that the CM was trying to safeguard his position as the BJP’s ally at the expense of Maharashtra’s interest.
“After Vedanta-Foxconn, now Tata-Airbus project has gone to Gujarat due to the sheer incompetence of CM Shinde as he repeatedly fails to retain investment and projects in Maharashtra,” chief NCP spokesperson Mahesh Tapase, said.
“Shinde is busy safeguarding his post of the chief minister even as Gujarat continues its surgical strike on Maharashtra... Taking a cue from Liz Truss (former UK prime minister), Shinde should immediately resign as CM for not being able to uphold the state’s interest,” Tapase added.
BJP chief spokesperson Keshav Upadhye said that the project had gone to Gujarat a year ago and it was the erstwhile Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government that had lost it.
“The MVA government did not write a single letter to bring the project to Maharashtra after the discussions were held by the Centre with Airbus in 2021. Now they are just trying to hide their failure,” he said.
Aaditya Thackeray said that the former industries minister, Subhash Desai, was trying to ensure this project come to Maharashtra.
Sena legislator Sachin Ahir said, “Our party had predicted that many other projects would go to Gujarat and now our fears are coming true. CM Eknath Shinde had promised bigger projects for Maharashtra and we have lost one more project.”
Last month, a Bulk Drug Park project under a Central scheme that the state was hoping to set up in Raigad was given to Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh, instead. The opposition contended that the loss of these projects meant that the state’s youth were losing out on lakhs of job opportunities.
In September 2021, the Union defence ministry and M/s Airbus Defence and Space S.A., Spain, signed a contract according to which 56 C-295 aircraft were to be manufactured. A consortium of Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) and Airbus Defence and Space are to manufacture 40 planes in India within 10 years while Airbus will deliver the first 16 aircraft in fly away condition from Spain within two years. The total cost of the project is ₹21,935 crore.
Soon after the Vedanta-Foxconn announcement was made, on September 15, industries minister Uday Samant said that the state was in talks with the Centre to bring the Airbus project to Nagpur.
“We are following up with the Centre to bring the Airbus project to Mihan, Nagpur. It is going to happen in collaboration with Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL). We are also going to speak with TASL,” Samant told ABP Majha new channel on September 15.
Samant said that in a telephone call between the CM and the prime minister, “the chief minister put forth his views before the prime minister on the Vedanta project and also held a detailed discussion with him on this matter. The PM has assured him that a similar project, or a better one, will be given to Maharashtra.”
A senior bureaucrat wishing to remain anonymous said that the CM and deputy CM had sought an appointment with the prime minister to request the PM to help them bring the project to the state.
The following week, Shinde and three ministers, including Samant, ports minister Dadaji Bhuse and horticulture minister Sandipan Bhumre visited Delhi to seek “bigger projects” for the state. Shinde met several Union ministers including road and transport minister Nitin Gadkari to discuss highway projects.
Soon after Thursday’s announcement, Samant said, “I had said that Vedanta- Foxconn was a much larger deal than Tata Airbus. But I don’t know what has happened now as I am down with dengue.”
“Tata-Airbus had not given it to us in writing that they are going to Gujarat,” principal secretary (industries) Harshdeep Kamble said on Thursday.
Asked about the decision to set up the plant in Gujarat, a Tata spokesperson said, “We will be speaking on this project only on Sunday.”
The project, billed as being a major boost to the domestic aerospace sector, is expected to generate 600 highly skilled jobs directly, over 3,000 indirect jobs and an additional 3,000 medium skill employment opportunities with more than 42.5 lakh man hours of work within the aerospace and defence sector of India.
Over 13,400 Detail Parts, 4,600 sub-assemblies and all the seven Major Component Assemblies will be undertaken in India along with tools, jigs and testers. Various systems such as engines, landing gear, and avionics will be provided by Airbus Defence and Space and integrated on the aircraft by the TATA Consortium.
The C-295MW is a transport aircraft of 5-10 tonne capacity with contemporary technology that will replace the ageing Avro aircraft of the Indian Air Force’s transport wing.
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