Maharashtra declining under Mahayuti: Chidambaram

MUMBAI: Former Union minister and Congress MP P Chidambaram on Saturday said once a leader under the Congress rule, now Maharashtra is facing a steady decline in all sectors under the Mahayuti regime.

Chidambaram said since its inception, Maharashtra had been at the forefront of all sectors in the country following Congress's vision and developmental policies. In recent years, though, Maharashtra is witnessing a steady decline in all sectors, he said. "Many projects have moved from Maharashtra to neighbouring states, resulting in loss of investment and jobs," Chidambaram said.

Chidambaram said there has been an unprecedented increase in the number of farmer suicides owing to the agrarian crisis. Maharashtra's per capita income has dropped significantly, with states such as Karnataka, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Haryana surpassing it. "The BJP govt in the state operates under the influence of Gujarat, and now it's time to dislodge the Mahayuti govt and bring back the Maha Vikas Aghadi rule."

Chidambaram said Maharashtra's per capita income dropped from 9.6% to 7.6%, the agriculture sector growth declined from 4.5% to 1.9%, services 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 while growth claimed by the govt is not visible in any sector, he said. "Unemployment in the state is at a very critical level, with the unemployment rate at 10.8%. The proportion of salaried employees dropped from 40% to 31%, while 40% of people are self-employed. For 18,000 posts of police constables, 11 lakh applications were received, while for 4,600 posts of Talathis, 11.5 lakh applications were received, which highlights the severity of unemployment," he said.

Chidambaram asked youths to keep in mind Union minister Nitin Gadkari's statement while going for voting on Nov 20. Gadkari had stated, ‘Where are the jobs?' Several MoUs were signed for major projects, but most of these projects have been shifted out of Maharashtra, said Chidambaram.

He said key projects such as the bulk drugs project, Tata Airbus unit, and Foxconn semiconductor project have been relocated to other states.

"I am told that BJP has extended the deadline for achieving the goal of a $5 trillion Indian economy and a $1 trillion economy for Maharashtra. The initial target was 2022-23, now it appears to be impossible," he said.