Chennai : Blaming the erstwhile United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government and its retrospective tax demand for Nokia’s decision to close down its factory near here, Tamil Nadu Industries Minister P.Thangamani said the state is now witnessing industrial growth.
Replying to a special call attention motion in the assembly, Thangamani said Nokia India produced 600,000 units per day till 2012 when the UPA government in which DMK was a part, brought in retrospective tax and sent a tax notice of Rs.2,080 crore to the company.
He said the Congress-led UPA and the DMK were the primary reason for the closure of Nokia India’s factory near here.
Thangamani also challenged the opposition members to list out the industries that had gone out of the state.
He blamed the erstwhile state government headed by DMK party for the metro train coach factory to be set up in Andhra Pradesh, though the trains were to run here.
Referring to Ford India’s decision to set up its second plant in Gujarat, Thangamani said the company officials had met former chief minister J.Jayalalithaa and said it was merely a business reason for locating its second plant in Gujarat.