Since its inception, Maharashtra has been at the forefront of all sectors in India, thanks to the vision and policies implemented by Congress governments. Mumbai is known as the financial capital. However, in recent years, under the BJP government, Maharashtra has seen a decline across all fronts, claimed former union minister and senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram.
Projects from Maharashtra have moved to other states, resulting in a loss of investment and jobs. Farmer distress has led to an increase in suicides. Maharashtra's per capita income has dropped, with states like Karnataka, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, and Haryana surpassing it.
The BJP-led government in Maharashtra operates under the influence of Gujarat, and now it's time to bring about change and bring back the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, said former Union Finance Minister and MP P. Chidambaram.
Addressing a press conference at Tilak Bhavan, Chidambaram presented detailed statistics on how Maharashtra has regressed under the BJP rule. He highlighted that Maharashtra's per capita income dropped from 9.6% to 7.6%, the agriculture sector growth declined from 4.5% to 1.9%, the service sector growth fell from 13% to 8.8%, and the construction sector growth decreased from 14.5% to 6.2%.
The fiscal deficit has increased, and while the government is spending money, growth is not visible in any sector.
Unemployment in Maharashtra is at a critical level, with the unemployment rate at 10.8%. The proportion of salaried employees has dropped from 40% to 31%, while 40% of people are now self-employed. For 18,000 police recruitment posts, 11 lakh applications were received, and for 4,600 talathi (revenue officer) positions, 11.5 lakh applications were submitted, highlighting the severity of unemployment.
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari himself admitted, "Where are the jobs in the state?" Chidambaram urged the youth and their parents to keep Gadkari's statement in mind while voting on the 20th.
Several major industries were ready to invest in Maharashtra, Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) were signed, and land was allocated for projects. However, these projects were eventually moved to other states.
Projects such as the bulk drugs project in Raigad, the Vedanta Foxconn semiconductor project in Talegaon, and the Tata-Airbus project in Nagpur were relocated to other states, a fact even a child can point out. Chidambaram questioned, "If such job-creating projects are moved out of Maharashtra, where will the state's youth find employment?
According to Chidambaram, the BJP government lacks a concrete policy for farmers, and its anti-farmer policies have worsened the plight of farmers in Maharashtra.
The state produces 65 lakh tons of onions annually, and exporting onions would fetch good prices for farmers. However, the central BJP government imposed a ban on onion exports and levied a 40% tax on it. This caused onion prices to crash in the market, severely impacting farmers. Today, farmer suicides in Maharashtra have increased, with 2,851 farmer suicides recorded in the past year. Despite the severe crisis, the government has not provided loan waivers to relieve farmers of their debt burden.
He further said that additionally, 17.4% of Maharashtra's population lives below the poverty line, Chidambaram pointed out.
Responding to questions about the BJP's target of achieving a $5 trillion Indian economy and a $1 trillion Maharashtra economy, Chidambaram remarked that the BJP has extended the timeline for these goals. Initially, the $5 trillion target was to be achieved by 2022-23. While it is not impossible to reach this target eventually, the real concern is the pace required to achieve it.
“It’s not the target but the speed that matters,” Chidambaram emphasised. On job creation, Chidambaram stated that employment opportunities exist, particularly in the healthcare and education sectors, where numerous positions are vacant and need to be filled.
He also highlighted that Congress has laid out a roadmap for job creation in its Lok Sabha election manifesto.
The press conference was attended by Mumbai Congress President MP Varsha Gaikwad, All India Congress Committee Secretary U.B. Venkatesh, National Spokesperson Surendra Rajput, and Charanjit Sapra, among others.