Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of the Tata-Airbus aircraft factory in Gujarat’s Baroda on Sunday. 48 hours before that yesterday, he joined the Bhumi Puja ceremony of the expansion of the steel plant built by ArcelorMittal and Nippon company in Surat, Gujarat via video conference yesterday. He announced that the expansion of factories in Gujarat with an investment of 60 thousand crore rupees will create huge employment. A bird’s eye view of the Gujarat assembly elections.
Strategies before polls
Ahead of the Gujarat polls, the Narendra Modi-Amit Shah-led state has created a storm in Maharashtra politics due to the foundation of one factory after another. On Thursday, the Modi government announced that the Tata-Airbus military aircraft factory will be built in Baroda, Gujarat. Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena alleged that the factory was supposed to be in Nagpur, Maharashtra. It is being moved to the Modi-Shah state to capitalize on Gujarat votes.
Earlier it was announced that Vedanta-Foxconn’s joint venture semiconductor manufacturing project would be shifted from Pune in Maharashtra to Gujarat. Then there were allegations of drug manufacturing industrial parks, medical device manufacturing parks, and shifting from Maharashtra to Gujarat. Allegations against Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and BJP coalition government in Maharashtra have started since they came to power.
Stance of PM
Yesterday, the Prime Minister participated in the Bhumi Puja ceremony at the Steel Factory in Surat and praised his government at the same time. Surat has a joint venture steel plant built by ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel, two of the world’s leading steel companies. A few days ago, the central government gave environmental clearance for the expansion of the factory. Expanding its steel production capacity will reach 150 lakh tonnes per annum.
The prime minister said, “Factory expansion will increase employment. India is on its way to becoming the world’s largest manufacturing hub. The central government is busy making the necessary supportive policies. Gujarat’s Bhupendra Patel government has also announced a new industrial policy. This is aimed at making Gujarat a manufacturing hub as well. A visionary policy has been formulated.” Opposition including Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena, Congress alleged that Modi is depriving Maharashtra of developing his state.
Uddhav-son Aditya Thackeray alleges that BJP always covers the ‘double engine government. In Maharashtra, state government engines have stopped working. On the other hand, the BJP claims that the scheme is moving from Maharashtra to other states because of Uddhav Thackeray’s negligence during his tenure as Chief Minister. Aditya claimed that the C-295 aircraft manufacturing plant was the fourth project of the Tata-Airbus initiative, which was shifted from Maharashtra.
According to sources in the Prime Minister’s Office, Modi will reach Baroda on Sunday, October 30, and lay the foundation stone of the aircraft factory. On Monday, October 31, during a three-day visit to Gujarat, he will visit Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s ‘Statue of Unity’ to pay his respects to Patel. That day is Sardar’s birthday. Join the Unity Day Parade. Will lay the foundation stone of a bunch of projects in Ahmedabad.