Seeking to puncture the euphoria surrounding the record investments worth Rs 15.75 lakh crore received by Maharashtra at the 54th World Economic Forum (WEF) meet in Davos, the Opposition Congress on Friday called for details about the agreements signed and demanded that the BJP-led MahaYuti government release a white paper on the investments and jobs generated from previous Davos visits.
A day after Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis proudly announced that the state had signed 54 MoUs with investments worth Rs 15.75 lakh crore in Davos, State Congress President Nana Patole said: "While significant investments in the state are welcome, the public has a right to know the specifics of these agreements and the reality behind them."
"Similar grand announcements have been made in the past as well. It is in this context that the MahaYuti government should release a white paper on the investments and jobs generated from previous deals made during Davos visits," Patole added.
Speaking to the media, Patole explained that out of the 61 agreements signed in Davos, 10 involved foreign groups, while the remaining 51 were based in India, with 43 of them coming from Mumbai and Pune.
"Among these, a Rs 1,500-crore deal was signed between CIDCO and BookMyShow, despite the latter facing a Mumbai Police investigation for allegedly black-marketing tickets for the recent Coldplay concert in Navi Mumbai," Patole said.
Patole also highlighted an agreement with the realty major Hiranandani Group, which is currently under police scrutiny for allegedly forging documents related to demolitions in Jai Bhim Nagar and facing a CBI probe for an EPFO scam.
Citing the deals signed with some alcohol manufacturing companies, Patole demanded to know if the MahaYuti government intended to transform Maharashtra into a "daru-rashtra" (liquor state).
"By signing agreements with liquor companies, is the BJP government turning Maharashtra into a 'liquor state'?" Patole asked.
Among these agreements were deals with major beer companies, including Heineken (Rs 750 crore) and AB InBev (Rs 1,500 crore). Patole pointed to Article 47 of the Directive Principles of State Policy in the Indian Constitution, which emphasizes that states must work towards prohibiting intoxicating drinks and drugs that are harmful to humans, except for medicinal purposes.
Raising doubts about the deal with PRYM Aerospace in Jalna to manufacture 6,000 drones in a 10,000-square-foot factory, Patole said, "The company does not have the facility to manufacture drones, as it only assembles parts of knock-down drones imported from abroad."
Taking a dig at Fadnavis, Patole noted that while Fadnavis was focused on the Davos event, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel had visited Mumbai and secured projects worth Rs 6,000 crore for his state without much fanfare. Similarly, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had visited Pune to attract industries to his state. "We urge the Maharashtra government to bring genuine investments to Maharashtra instead of misleading people in the name of Davos," Patole concluded.
