‘Sena faces heat over misleading Nanar stance’

Mumbai: Opposition parties such as the Congress, NCP and MNS have slammed the Shiv Sena for allegedly misleading people over the Nanar oil refinery project. Reason being the party had earlier announced that the project would be cancelled, however, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed on Monday in Delhi between two overseas firms that will execute the project in association with Indian firms. Maharashtra industries minister Subhash Desai meanwhile said that he would resign from the post of minister if the project went further.

The Union government is pushing for the ambitious oil refinery project in the Ratnagiri district of the Konkan region. On Monday, Union petroleum and natural gas minister Dharmendra Pradhan and United Arab Emirates (UAE) foreign minister Sheikh Abdulla Bin Jayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan were present during the MoU signing ceremony between Aramco and Adnoc.  

The agreement comes amidst the ongoing tussle between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Sena over the project. The Sena leader and industries minister Mr Desai recently claimed that cancellation of the project was in its last stage.  However, Monday’s agreement signing ceremony has exposed his claims.  

Maharashtra Congress chief Ashok Chavan demanded, “He has misled the villagers of Nanar as well as the people of Maharashtra. Now, Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray should extend an apology to the state.”

MNS chief Raj Thackeray slammed the BJP for pushing the project saying, “Last time, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis claimed that the project will go to Gujarat if we keep opposing it. So let it go there. We don't want it.”