After Telangana, now Maharashtra and West Bengal invites Elon Musk to set up Tesla's plant

Three Indian states welcome Musk in their states to set up his Tesla EV plant.

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk informed on January 13 that he’s facing ‘lots of challenges with the government’ to launch his EV maker in India. Soon after, Telangana Minister KT Rama Rao invites him to set up a Tesla plant in India where two more states, Maharashtra and West Bengal join in to welcome Musk in their respective states. 

Maharashtra Water Resources Minister Jayant Patil offered Musk to set up manufacturing in the state for electric cars. This comes after Telangana Industry and Commerce Minister K.T. Rama Rao invited Musk to set up shop in his state. In his tweet to Musk, Patil said: "Maharashtra is one of the most progressive states in India. We will provide you with all the necessary help from Maharashtra for you to get established in India. "We invite you to establish your manufacturing plant in Maharashtra." To which, Musk replied, "Still working through a lot of challenges with the government." 

In response to Musk, Rama Rao said Telangana is a champion in sustainability initiatives and his government would be happy to partner with Tesla in working through the challenges."Hey Elon, I am the Industry and Commerce Minister of Telangana state in India. Will be happy to partner Tesla in working through the challenges to set shop in India/Telangana," he said in a tweet. Meanwhile, Md Ghulam Rabbani tweeted, saying “Drop in, We in West Bengal have best infra & our leader has got the vision. Bengal means business.” 

Tesla wants to begin selling imported cars in India this year, but taxes in the country are among the highest in the world. With a $39,990 global price tag, Tesla Model 3 may remain as an affordable model in the US but with import duties, it would become unaffordable in the Indian market with an expected price tag of around Rs 60 lakh. Currently, India levies 100 percent tax on imported cars of price more than $40,000 (Rs 30 lakh) inclusive of insurance and shipping expenses, and cars less than $40,000 are subject to 60 percent import tax.

Meanwhile, Rao was praised by Twitterati for his reply to Musk by eminent personalities including actors, journalists, and industry leaders. They also supported the idea of EV in India. "Love this car so much, Elon Musk. Feels like hope is around the corner," wrote actor Genelia Deshmukh. "Elon Musk, Come to Hyderabad - India! It will be epic to have you. The Government here in Telangana is terrific too," tweeted actor Vijay Devarakonda.

With inputs from IANS