Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday questioned the relationship between billionaire Gautam Adani and Prime Minister Narendra Modi while showing a photograph of the two in Lok Sabha. Speaking on motion of thanks to the President’s address, Rahul Gandhi said he heard only one businessman’s name during his foot march from Kanyakumari to Kashmir – Gautam Adani.
“From Tamil Nadu, Kerala to Himachal Pradesh we have been listening one name everywhere ‘Adani’. Across the entire country, it’s just ‘Adani’, ‘Adani’, ‘Adani’…people used to ask me that Adani enters any business and never fails,” Rahul Gandhi said in Lok Sabha.
“Relationship began many years ago when Narendra Modi was Gujarat CM…one man stood shoulder to shoulder with PM Modi, he was loyal to PM and helped Mr Modi to construct idea of a Resurgent Gujarat. Real magic began when PM Modi reached Delhi in 2014,” Gandhi said.
His charges in Lok Sabha drew a sharp response from the treasury benches, with Union law minister Kiren Rijiju asking him to not level “wild allegations” and furnish proof of his claims. Speaker Om Birla disapproved of Rahul Gandhi displaying a picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Adani in the business tycoon’s plane to highlight their widely perceived proximity.
Gandhi also alleged that the government tweaked rules in favour of Adani, saying that those with no prior experience in airports were earlier not involved in the development of airports. “This rule was changed and Adani was given six airports. After that India’s most profitable airport ‘Mumbai Airpot’ was hijacked from GVK using agencies like CBI, ED and was given to Adani by government of India,” he added. Gandhi also hit back at PM Modi for targeting the opposition over its criticism of the Rafale deal by allegedly overlooking the capabilities of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). Speaking at the inauguration of HAL facility in Karnataka, PM Modi on Monday said that the state-owned plane maker’s growing prowess and contribution to India’s self-reliance had exposed “the old lies and those who had made the false accusations.”
Responding to the prime minister’s remark, Rahul Gandhi said, “Yesterday PM said at HAL that we hurled the wrong allegations. But in reality, HAL’s contract of 126 aircraft went to Anil Ambani.”
