Rahul Gandhi flags, questions Adani’s rise under Modi, Govt hits back: baseless, show proof

Treasury benches repeatedly asked Gandhi to authenticate his claims, saying that such allegations cannot be levelled against the Prime Minister without documentary evidence to which Gandhi claimed he would do so.

Accusing the Modi government of flouting rules to facilitate the meteoric rise of the businessman since 2014 riding on an alleged nexus between Adani and the political establishment, Gandhi wrapped up his speech with pointed questions for Modi.

Fresh from his 4000-km Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanyakumari to Jammu and Kashmir, Gandhi used the Parliament stage to ratchet up his “suit boot ki sarkar” and “hum do, hamare do (Adani-Ambani)” rhetoric to flag what he calls the BJP regime’s crony capitalism.

Today, his fusillade’s focus was Adani suggesting that the Congress plans to go all out against the Government on this in the run-up to the 2024 general elections. Incidentally, in the run-up to 2019, Gandhi had linked the PM to Anil Ambani in the Rafale fighter jet deal but his “chowkidaar chor hai” campaign against the Prime Minister failed to resonate with voters.

This time, he began by invoking the yatra as the place he heard from the unseen and unheard. Recounting conversations with farmers, tribals and the youth around issues like unemployment, price rise, MSP and the Agniveer, Gandhi said these found no mention in the President’s address.

He claimed “senior officers” told him the Agniveer scheme was not conceived by the Army, “it came from the Home Ministry, RSS… they told me (National Security Advisor) Ajit Doval thrust this scheme on the Army.”

The Adani theme, too, he said, found an echo in the yatra.

“From Tamil Nadu to Kerala, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh…everywhere we heard one name, Adani….Everywhere Adani, Adani, Adani…People asked me how it is possible that Adani tastes success in whichever sector he enters, he never fails. And they asked how Adani is entering every sector, he used to be in one or two sectors now he is eight-ten sectors: airports, data centers, cement, solar energy, wind energy, aerospace and defence, consumer finance, renewables, media, ports, they asked how Adani’s net worth rose from 8 billion dollars to 140 billion dollars from 2014 to 2022,” he said.

“How to use government power to build individual businesses” should be a case study in business schools, he added…”

Adani, Gandhi said, was ranked 609 in the list of richest people in 2014. “I don’t know what magic…he has reached No. 2 now…so people asked how has he become successful, how he has entered so many businesses…” he said.

He said 24 per cent of the air traffic and 31 per cent of the freight traffic is handled by airports operated by Adani group.

Similarly, in the defence sector, Gandhi said, the Adani group had no experience but makes drones in collaboration with an Israel firm. “Adani has never done this before, HAL and other companies in India had been doing this but the Prime Minister visits Israel and immediately after that Adani gets the contract,” Gandhi said.

He alleged the Adani group’s defence companies are involved in making “small arms which include Tavor which is used by our special forces, Galil sniper rifle.” He attributed this to the PM’s visit to Israel after which “90 percent of the India-Israel weapons business goes to Adani…”

Referring to the exposure of LIC and public sector banks to the Adani group, Gandhi said the Hindenburg report had spoken about shell companies in Mauritius. He said that given Adani’s sprawling network across strategic sectors, its opacity was an issue of national interest. “Why (has) the government not (raised) questions on these shell companies? Who are these people, whose money is it?”

He said Adani had announced last year that he would invest $ 50 billion to build the world’s largest green hydrogen ecosystem. “And in this budget, Nirmala Sitharaman announces huge incentives for green hydrogen…Rs 19,700 crore which means it will be given to Adani,” he claimed.

Editor’s note: This article has been updated on February 8, following Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla’s decision expunging certain remarks made by senior Congress leader and Wayand MP Rahul Gandhi during his address on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address in the House on February 7 .