'Shame that industrialists asked to defend': Priyanka Chaturvedi on Vedanta; Sharad Pawar says, '...like a child'

Priyanka Chaturvedi said industrialists are now asked to defend Centre's arm-twisting after Anil Agarwal tweeted why his company chose Gujarat over Maharashtra. Sharad Pawar said promising bigger project to Maharashtra is like ‘convincing a child’

The row over the Vedanta-Foxconn deal which went to Gujarat from Maharashtra continued with the opposition unrelenting even after Vedanta chairman Anil Agarwal explained his company's decision. Sena leader Priyanka Chaturvedi said it is shameful that industrialists are asked to defend the Centre's arm twisting. NCP chief Sharad Pawar said the Centre is promising Maharashtra bigger project in future as if it is "convincing a child".

Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, NCP chief Sharad Pawar commented on the loss of the Vedanta Foxconn deal and the tug of war that followed.

Amid the blame game that the new government in Maharashtra allowed the deal to pass to Gujarat under political pressure, Vedanta chairman Anil Agarwal said the decision to choose Gujarat over Maharashtra was an independent and professional one. In the process of choosing a site - that started about two years ago - they held talks with Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu but Gujarat was chosen a few months ago. "Maharashtra will be our key to forward integration in our Gujarat JV," Agarwal said.

"Shame that industrialists are now being asked to defend the centre’s arm twisting to get them to invest in an election going state over the one already finalised&established for setting up the project as well as provide a face saver to the illegitimate government," Priyanka Chaturvedi said reacting to Anil Agarwal's clarification.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar said there is no point in talking about it as the project has already gone out of Maharashtra and there is no possibility of getting it back. "I also heard that the discussion with the Prime Minister was also held where he promised that he will be helping out with some other bigger project to Maharashtra, this is like trying to convince a child," he said.

Here's what the Vedanta-Foxconn controversy is all about

1. Vedanta and Foxconn will set up its ₹1.25 lakh crore semiconductor chip project in Gujarat. A memorandum of understanding was signed on September 13. Earlier, the facility was proposed to be set up in Pune.

2. Uddhav Sena, Congress and the NCP have stepped up the attack on BJP and Eknath Shinde for allowing it to pass on to Gujarat at the behest of the Centre. Shiv Sena in its editorial on Saamana on Friday said the BJP must have sought this favour from Eknath Shinde, after giving him the CM's chair.

3. Vedanta chairman Anil Agarwal claimed that Gujarat was chosen independently.

4. The group wanted 1,000 acres of land free of cost and water and power at concessionary and fixed prices for 20 years.

5. The Congress claimed that Maharashtra had offered many concessions like more capital subsidy than Gujarat.