Cong, BJP attack Naveen for ArcelorMittal's withdrawal

Opposition Congress and BJP on Thursday slammed the Orissa government for its  "faulty industrial policy" which had led to the withdrawal by ArcelorMittal from a mega project.

"Mittal's withdrawal from (the project in) Orissa exposes Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's lack of sincerity to make the state industrially developed," said Orissa Pradesh Congress Committee President Jaydev Jena.

"The Chief Minister (CM) mislead the people by inviting major steel-makers like ArcelorMittal and Posco," Jena said. While ArcelorMittal has already announced scrapping of its project, Posco has been waiting for the last eight years to set up its plant, he added.

Terming ArcelorMittal's withdrawal as a major setback for Orissa, the BJP state unit said the company had withdrawn  its project at a time when there was a need for massive investments in the state.

"The CM should learn from (Gujarat CM) Narendra Modi on encouraging industrial development," said state BJP spokesperson Sajjan Sharma.

"It is unfortunate that the (government) makes false claims of bringing crores of  investment to the state to wipe out unemployment and strengthen the economy," Sharma said, adding that no other major  company would now like to invest in Orissa.