Uddhav takes on Chavan for pro-Jaitapur remarks

MUMBAI - Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray Sunday took a dig at Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, who batted for the Jaitapur nuclear power plant, saying the land is like the “mother” of the locals and does not have a price tag.

Chavan had Saturday visited Jaitapur village, where the 9,900 MW Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project was being set up with French collaboration and assured that the project will strictly adhere to all norms of operational safety and environmental protection.

He had called upon the local activists and the Shiv Sena to refrain from raising “invalid” issues and instigating opposition to the mega project.

Thackeray, while addressing a gathering on the occasion of “Marathi Day”, said the Shiv Sena maintains its stand of opposing the project.

“Locals are of the view that the land is their mother and mother’s worth cannot be calculated in money,” he said.

Taking on Chavan, Thackeray said he is falsely alleging that the “outsiders” are misleading the locals, instigating them to protest the power plant.

“The chief minister should remember that his party leader is of Italian-origin,” Uddhav quipped.

“One has to understand the difference between an insider and an outsider. If he is (Chavan) fine with an imported leader, he has to deal with opposition from within the country,” he added.

The Jaitapur nuclear power plant is a proposed 9,900 MW project of the Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) at Jaitapur, which was earlier an important port on the Konkan coast.

The project will be spread across 968 hectares in five villages of the district. The project is coming up in collaboration with Areva, France.