CM Devendra Fadnavis gets call over refinery

Mumbai: Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray during a telephone conversation on Wednesday expressed to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis his displeasure at the party being targeted, said sources.

The Sena chief questioned the CM’s claim that MP Vinayak Raut and union minister Anant Geete had demanded a green refinery project at Rajapur.

Mr Raut alleged that the chief minister was “lying” to defame the Sena for political gains. He released the letter and photograph of his meeting with petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan two days ago, in which he asked Mr Pradhan to scrap the project.

The Sena reacted strongly over the chief minister’s claims regarding the green refinery project and Samruddhi corridor.

The chief minister told the media on Tuesday that Mr Raut and Mr Geete had demanded a green refinery project at Rajapur.

The chief minister also alleged that those who had purchased lands in the Samruddhi corridor area were working as land agents and participating in the programme with Mr Thackeray. The Sena meanwhile strongly refuted these allegations and Mr Thackeray spoke with Mr Fadnavis Wednesday morning. Mr Raut too spoke to Mr Thackeray and attacked the chief minister.

Mr Raut told The Asian Age, “Residents of 14 villages from Rajapur are against the refinery project and the Sena is with them. Out of 14, Sena is in power in 12 gram panchayats. I never asked PM Narendra Modi and the chief minister to bring this project to Rajapur. I met Mr Pradhan two days ago and gave him a letter to scrap the project. The CM is trying to divide the local people to get support for the project and defame the Sena.” Sena leader Neelam Gorhe and others too raised the issue.