'Never in history has Maharashtra slid so badly': Chidambaram faults BJP on state's economic condition

Mumbai, Nov 16 (IANS) Attacking the MahaYuti government's economic record, Congress leader and former Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram on Saturday said that never before in its history has Maharashtra fallen backwards on all fronts, sullying its exemplary record.  

"Ever since Maharashtra was formed, the state has always been a leader in all sectors due to the goal-oriented policies designed during the successive Congress regimes. Mumbai is India’s financial capital, but in the past few years the state has receded on multiple fronts under the BJP government," he said at a press conference here ahead of the November 20 Assembly elections.

Chidambaram said that the per capita income of Maharashtra has declined while other states like Karnataka, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, and Haryana have moved ahead.

“The MahaYuti with BJP in Maharashtra is acting under the instructions of Gujarat and now there is a need for change to arrest the multi-front decline here by bringing back the MVA government," he said.

Citing data, he said that Maharashtra’s per capita income has dropped from 9.6 per cent to 7.6 per cent, the agriculture sector has declined from 4.5 per cent to 1.9 per cent, the service sector has declined from 13 per cent to 8 per cent, the housing and realty sector fell from 14.5 per cent to 6.2 per cent and the state’s fiscal deficit has widened.

"The government is spending money but there is no growth witnessed in any sector. Unemployment has assumed alarming proportions at 10.8 per cent, the number of the salaried class has dropped from 40 to 31 per cent, and 40 per cent are self-employed," Chidambaram said.

Emphasising the gravity of the unemployment problem, he said that for just 18,000 posts of police personnel, more than 11 lakh applications were received, and for 4,600 posts of 'talathis' (revenue officers), there were in excess of 11.50 lakh applications.

Referring to a statement by Union Minister and BJP leader Nitin Gadkari lamenting where were the jobs in the state, Chidambaram urged the people, the youth and others to bear this in mind when exercising their franchise on November 20, as 17.4 per cent of the state’s population reels below the poverty line.

He dwelt upon the problems of flight of industries and projects from Maharashtra to Gujarat or other states that are fueling joblessness in the state, and a lack of a clear policy for the distressed farmers after faulty policies aggravated the turmoil in farmlands and led to increasing farmers suicides.

Attacking the BJP, the Congress leader said that it had set a target of making the Indian economy worth $5 trillion, including $1 trillion from Maharashtra. "That aim was to be achieved in 2022-2023, but now it has been extended indefinitely… It's not just about setting targets but the speed of implementation that is important," Chidambaram said.

Mumbai Congress President Varsha Gaikwad, AICC Secretary B. Venkatesh, national spokesperson Surendra Rajput, Charanjit Singh Sapra, and others, were also present at the media briefing.