Yogi meets Mukesh Ambani in Mumbai; draws ire of Maha opposition over roadshow

Pitching Uttar Pradesh as a safe investment destination, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday assured industrialists of a strong law and order situation devoid of fear and free of land mafia in the state. He, however, also attracted strong reactions from the opposition alliance in Maharashtra.

Mumbai:Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday met Reliance Industries Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani at Hotel Taj in Mumbai. They discussed Uttar Pradesh's progress and investment opportunities for about two hours. Yogi also met Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari and other industrialists.

The CM also held a roadshow in the city, inviting industrialists and entrepreneurs to visit the northern state during the three-day 'UP Global Investor Summit' to be held in Lucknow from February 10-12. He assured industrialists of a strong law and order situation devoid of fear and free of land mafia in Uttar Pradesh.

"You must have seen that before 2017, there used to be riots every other day, now the law and order in the state is peaceful. We formed an anti-land mafia task force and vacated over 64,000-hectare land from their clutches," the Chief Minister said. He told investors that today no goon can collect tax from any businessman or contractor or harass them in Uttar Pradesh.

"Even political donations cannot be taken forcibly," he added. The Chief Minister will conduct roadshows to promote the three-day UP Global Investor Summit 2023 in Lucknow from February 10 to 12. "Our team has already visited 16 countries and 21 cities, inviting investors to come and visit the UP Global Investor Summit 2023. We have already garnered Rs 7.12 lakh crore investment intent for the state," he disclosed.

Furthermore, he said, Uttar Pradesh is well connected through roads, railways and airways, which will benefit investors in connecting with the domestic and international markets easily. "It is going to become the only state in the country with five international airports. We now have nine airports. Even though we were a land-locked state, the country's first inland waterway has been developed from the state to Haldia. The country's largest rail network is in Uttar Pradesh as well," he said.

The state has set a target of USD 1 trillion and aims at becoming a major contributor to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's target of making India a USD 5 trillion economy, Adityanath added. The state has ample land bank and 25 sectoral incentives for the investors to choose from, said Uttar Pradesh Additional Chief Secretary and Infrastructure and Industrial Development Commissioner (IIDC) Arvind Kumar, who was present on the occasion, said.

"Land bank in the state is not an issue as we have a huge quantity, of which 20,000 hectares are readily available. We have 25 focused sectors, including defence and aerospace, electronics, semiconductor, IT/ITeS, logistics and warehousing, data centres, agro and food processing, electric vehicles, textiles and tourism, among others. We have set a target to garner Rs 15-17 lakh crore during the three-day UP Global Investor Summit 2023," he said. The state has 25 incentive policies for these focused sectors to encourage investors to set up business in the state, he added.

Maha opposition trains guns on Yogi

Maharashtra's Opposition alliance trained guns on Yogi Adityanath over his visit to Mumbai to attract investment in his state, saying there will be objection if he snatches away industries from the western state. His roadshow in the financial capital sparked a war of words between the Opposition and the ruling BJP in Maharashtra.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), the state's Opposition alliance consisting of the Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), advised the saffron leader to avoid politics during his visit. Sanjay Raut, a key leader of the Shiv Sena (UBT), asked about the need to hold a roadshow in Mumbai.

The Rajya Sabha member, whose party is a trenchant critic of the BJP, said the Uttar Pradesh chief minister can hold discussions with industrialists but should avoid indulging in politics during his visit. "I had said yesterday if he has come to meet industrialists for the progress of his state, then there is no objection. But there will be objection if industries are snatched away from us (Maharashtra).

"If they are doing a roadshow for investment, then it is surprising. What is the need for that? Have you come to do politics or take help from Mumbai for the development of your state?" Raut asked while talking to reporters. Maharashtra Congress spokesperson Atul Londhe said the biggest hurdle in attracting investment in Uttar Pradesh is the atmosphere created by Adityanath in the state.

Investment in Uttar Pradesh will be possible only if he works on improving the law and order situation in the country's most populous state, he said. "You foment religious tension and create differences on the basis of castes. Law and order is in a bad shape. So why should any industry come to Uttar Pradesh? The biggest hurdle is the atmosphere you (Adityanath) have created," Londhe said.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)'s national (rpt national) spokesperson Clyde Crasto (rpt Clyde Crasto) sought to know when will Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis go to Uttar Pradesh or Gujarat and ask people there to "Dream in their state, but make it reality in Maharashtra in form of investment?"

Countering the Opposition attack, Deputy Chief Minister Fadnavis, a BJP leader, asserted no one can take away businesses from Maharashtra. "There is no reason to fear, but we must be proud of (Mumbai). Whoever can say whatever they want, but Mumbai remains the financial capital of the country. If anyone has to do any industrial summit or attract industries, then they have to come to Mumbai. No one can take away anyone's industries," he said.

Last year, the Shinde-Fadnavis government faced flak over big-ticket projects like the Vedanta-Foxconn semiconductor plant and the Tata-Airbus aircraft venture preferring Gujarat over Maharashtra.