Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated the Airbus-Tata assembly plant in Baroda, Gujarat. Political controversy started over it right after its inauguration. After Congress’s allegations on Wednesday, today i.e. on Tuesday, Maharashtra’s veteran leader and NCP chief Sharad Pawar also made the same allegations on the Central Government and said that the Prime Minister cannot worry about the development of just one state. He alleged that earlier this plant was going to be set up in Maharashtra, but at the behest of the Prime Minister it was shifted to Gujarat.
On Monday, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh alleged that the government has shown favoritism towards Maharashtra. Ramesh alleged that earlier this plant was to be set up in Maharashtra, but after the intervention of PM Modi, it was shifted to Gujarat. Linking this issue to the identity of Maharashtra, he said that the people of the state will answer it in the assembly elections.
Tata wanted plants to be set up in Maharashtra
Pawar said that Ratan Tata wanted this project to be set up in Maharashtra and on his suggestion, a 500-acre plot in Nagpur MIDC area was identified for it. This was during the UPA government led by Manmohan Singh, of which I was a part. Pawar told that when Modi became Prime Minister, he called Ratan Tata and asked him to set up this plant in Gujarat.
He also said that if this project had been implemented in Maharashtra, thousands of jobs would have been created in the state. Accusing the central government of discrimination, Pawar said that earlier when Modi shifted Foxconn’s semiconductor plant from Maharashtra to Gujarat, thousands of jobs were lost from Maharashtra.
Sharad Pawar said that the Prime Minister does not belong to any one state, rather he should think about the entire country. The government or the Bharatiya Janata Party have not yet responded to Pawar’s allegations.
First private sector military plant
On Monday, this plant was inaugurated by PM Modi and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. This plant is the first private sector plant in the country, where military aircraft will be assembled. The government established this plant under the program of self-reliant India. Under the agreement between India and Spain, 40 C295 aircraft will be assembled in this plant.
Under a military agreement with Spain, India has purchased 56 airbase aircraft, of which Spain will hand over 16 to India in ‘fly-away’ condition, and the remaining aircraft will be assembled at this plant.