Gautam Adani, in an exclusive interview with India Today, said that his professional success is not because of an individual leader, but is the result of policies brought about by a host of leaders. He said that just because Prime Minister Narendra Modi and he hail from the same state – Gujarat – he is made an easy target of baseless accusations.
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The billionaire, who has been named India Today magazine’s ‘Newsmaker of the Year’, in an interview with India Today Group Editorial Director (Publishing) Raj Chengappa, said that his entrepreneurial journey can be divided into four phases.
He said that his journey actually began during the tenure of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, who liberalised the Exim policy or the export-import policy, following which several items were brought in the open general licence list. “That is what helped me to start my export house. But for Rajiv Gandhi, my journey as an entrepreneur would never have taken off,” he said.
The second push his career got was in 1991 when former PM PV Narasimha Rao and former PM Manmohan Singh, who was the Finance Minister then, brought in sweeping economic reforms, leading to the liberalisation of the economy. “Just like many other entrepreneurs, I too was a beneficiary of those reforms. There is no point in further elaborating on it because so much has been said and written about it,” he said.
The third turning point, Gautam Adani said, came in 1995 when Keshubhai Patel was sworn in as the Gujarat chief minister. “Until then, all development in Gujarat was only around NH 8 from Mumbai to Delhi via cities like Vapi, Ankleshwar, Bharuch, Silvassa, Vadodara, Surat and Ahmedabad. He was a visionary and focused on coastal development – and it was that policy change that took me to Mundra and prompted me to build our first port. The rest, as they say, is history,” he said.
In 2001 when Gujarat focussed on development under then Chief Minister Narendra Modi, Gautam Adani’s entrepreneurial journey got another lease on its life. “His policies and their implementation went on to not only change the economic landscape of the state but it also brought social transformation and development of previously underdeveloped areas. It also allowed industries and employment to take off like never before,” he said.
Gautam Adani, while crediting the aforementioned leaders, said that the narratives pushed against him are baseless and unfortunate. “The fact of the matter is that my professional success is not because of any individual leader but because of the policy and institutional reforms initiated by several leaders and governments during a long period of over three decades,” he said.
When further asked what he would like to say on the rise of Narendra Modi from the CM of Gujarat to the PM of India, Gautam Adani said that PM Modi has not only brought about policy changes but has managed to touch the lives of every Indian through various programmes and schemes.
“He has, through several innovative schemes and their effective implementation, given a strong push to industrial and economic development of India. Schemes like Aatmanirbhar Bharat, Digital India and Start-up India, have acted as economic multipliers and have not only created endless business and manufacturing opportunities but have also created millions of direct and indirect jobs,” said Gautam Adani, further adding that PM Modi’s focus on social sector, agriculture economy and underdeveloped areas of the country has ensured that growth is inclusive and sustainable.
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