If I were Deputy CM, I would’ve Resigned’: Aaditya Thackeray Takes Dig at Fadnavis

GG News Bureau

Mumbai, 30th Oct. In the midst of the ongoing squabble between the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and the Eknath Shinde government over losing projects, former Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackeray on Saturday attacked deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, saying that if he (Aaditya Thackeray) had been deputy chief minister in the current government, he would have resigned because Fadnavis’s reputation is at risk.

“I would have preferred fresh elections,” Aaditya Thackeray said, calling for the resignation of Industries Minister Uday Samant.

Aaditya Thackeray slammed Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, saying that CMs from other states, including Madhya Pradesh’s Shivraj Chouhan, Odisha’s Naveen Patnaik, and Rajasthan’s Ashok Gehlot, came to Maharashtra to discuss inter-state investment relations, but Eknath Shinde did not.

The latest flashpoint between the Shiv Sena’s two factions is the loss of the Tata-Airbus project, which was given to Gujarat once again. Maharashtra lost four projects after the Shinde-Fadnavis government took power, including the Vedanta-Foxconn semiconductor project, the Medical Device Park, the Bulk Drugs Park, and this Tata-Airbus project.

“When we went to Davos, myself, Desai and Nitin Raut could bring in investment to the tune of ₹80,000 crore… It was the same central government. So, if the MVA government and the Centre could work and bring investment to Maharashtra, then why did their engine fail?” Aaditya said.

Uday Samant, Maharashtra Industries Minister, blamed the Maha Vikas Aghadi government for the loss of the Tata Airbus project, claiming that the Uddhav Thackeray government had made no decision on the project.

“No discussion was held by the (previous) government with regards to Airbus. I can say with responsibility there is no official mention at the government level with Airbus regarding the (aircraft) plant,” the minister said.

“The minister told the media that they will bring the Tata-Airbus project into the state, but he failed, Now I want to ask the CM to accept the resignation of the industry minister,” Aaditya Thackeray said.