Evening Picture: In ‘Modinomics’ vs ‘Modani’, BJP focuses on economy, Oppn on Adani controversy

“The aim of the ongoing meeting of the ghamandiya gathbandhan (arrogant alliance) in Mumbai is nothing but to discuss the ways to ensure the ‘bright future’ for their kids. CMP means Common Maximum Parivarvaad,” Patra said.

It wasn’t Patra’s only riff on the CMP acronym. Referring to it as “corruption’s maximum profit,” he claimed that the alliance’s members together represented “scams worth over Rs 20 lakh crore.”

BJP spokesperson Syed Zafar Islam, in a press conference, said India is the world’s fastest-growing economy, thanks to “Modinomics”. “The GDP data for the first quarter is going to come today. I don’t know what the figure will be, but the speed of growth indicates that it will be around 8 per cent,” said Islam.

In a series of posts on X, the BJP compared its record to the UPA regime using clippings of news articles. Under the NDA, it claimed, India was a “bright spot” in the global economy and an “attractive destination” for investors, while the UPA oversaw economic slowdowns, unemployment and corruption.

Rahul Gandhi and the Congress did not hold back in response, raising the issue of financial irregularities in the Adani Group and questioning Modi’s proximity to Gautam Adani. In a report published on Thursday, the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, a global network of journalists, made fresh allegations of stock manipulation against the Adani Group.

“Despite the Modi government’s best efforts, the truth will not stay suppressed forever. However, the full story about the flow of benami funds into the Adani Group, how foreign citizens came to play a role in critical national infrastructure and how PM (Narendra) Modi ‘violated rules, regulations and norms to enrich his close friends’ can only be revealed by a joint parliamentary committee,” Rahul Gandhi said at a press conference in Mumbai after the INDIA alliance’s meeting.

Congress MP Jairam Ramesh, in a post on X, added that the government announced a special session of the Parliament next month as a diversionary tactic to draw attention away from the “Modani” issue and the INDIA alliance’s Mumbai meet.

Several other Opposition parties targeted the BJP over the Adani stock manipulation controversy, with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) calling for the Supreme Court’s intervention and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) demanding a response from the government on the new allegations. The Trinamool Congress, too, pointed out the prime minister’s alleged proximity to Adani, claiming “bohot yaarana lagta hai” in a reference to a dialogue from ‘Sholay’.

Elsewhere on social media, though, the Opposition’s focus was squarely on the INDIA alliance Mumbai meet. On X, the Congress shared photos and videos of party leaders, many of whom are former rivals, interacting with each other. In another post, as it attempted to project a united front, the Congress claimed the alliance aimed to “save the country.”