The Congress alleges that the C-295 aircraft facility, initially planned for Nagpur, has instead been inaugurated in Vadodara.
On Monday, the Congress criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Eknath Shinde-led Mahayuti government, accusing them of a “complete surrender” of Maharashtra’s interests by allegedly shifting the Tata-Airbus C-295 aircraft facility to Vadodara in Gujarat.
The Congress claims that the C-295 aircraft facility, originally planned for Nagpur, has now been inaugurated in Vadodara.
Congress’ Rajya Sabha MP and communications head, Jairam Ramesh, stated that Maharashtra’s people would strongly respond to the Prime Minister and his associates for what he termed a betrayal of the state.
Ramesh’s remarks followed the inauguration of the Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL)-Airbus facility for producing C-295 military aircraft, a collaboration officiated by Prime Minister Modi and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
The Tata-Airbus facility marks a milestone as India’s first private-sector final assembly line for military aircraft.
“Today, the ‘non-biological’ PM is in Vadodara to inaugurate the Tata-Airbus C-295 facility. This same project was intended for Nagpur but was shifted to Gujarat in 2022, just before the assembly elections there,” Ramesh claimed in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
Ramesh remarked that “one can only imagine the behind-the-scenes maneuvers” that resulted in Maharashtra losing out on this major investment.
“This is no isolated case. Under the direction of the ‘non-biological’ PM, the Union Government, along with the Mahayuti government, has colluded to ensure Maharashtra’s complete surrender in securing new projects and Central support,” Jairam Ramesh added.
Referencing previous instances, the Congress leader pointed out that an International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) was exclusively established in Gujarat’s GIFT City.
“In 2006, Dr. Manmohan Singh initiated efforts to set up the IFSC in Mumbai, with land already allocated in Bandra Kurla Complex. However, those plans were thwarted, costing Mumbai an estimated 200,000 jobs,” he alleged.
“Mumbai and Surat have jointly developed India’s diamond industry for decades, with Surat specializing in cutting and polishing while Mumbai managed trading and exports. Yet, a new Bharat Diamond Bourse was set up in Surat. However, this move has largely failed, as many diamond merchants have returned to Mumbai,” Ramesh noted.
He added that alongside the Tata-Airbus manufacturing plant, the “now-failed Vedanta-Foxconn” semiconductor chip factory was also diverted from Maharashtra to Gujarat.
The Textile Commissionerate Office, after being based in Mumbai for 80 years, was abruptly shifted to Delhi last year, despite the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) remaining a major textile hub, he stated.
Ramesh emphasized that the Congress and the Maha Vikas Aghadi do not practice favoritism.
“We advocate for the equitable development of the entire country. New infrastructure projects, special investment zones, and modern industries should benefit all Indians, not just one state,” he added.