Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and held him responsible for the meteoric rise of Gautam Adani, the chairman of Adani Group - which is at the center of a storm following a damaging report by US-based short seller Hindenburg Research. He said Harvard University should study Adani's rise and the relationship between business and politics.
"Harvard University should study the relationship between politics and business - India is a case study and the Prime Minister should be given a gold medal for this," Gandhi said while Speaking in the Lok Sabha after months of Bharat Jodo Yatra.
He alleged that Adani's rise was due to Prime Minister Modi as several rules were changed to benefit his business conglomerate. He further said there was a rule that anyone who did not have prior experience in airports can't be involved in the development of airports. "This rule was changed by the Government of India," Gandhi said.
"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, and ED and was given to Adani by the Government of India," Gandhi claimed.
The Congress leader further said that the Adani Group has zero experience in the defence sector but, he said, the group got the contract to make drones immediately after PM Modi travelled to Israel.
"Yesterday (Monday), PM Modi said at the HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited) that we hurled the wrong allegations. But in reality, HAL's contract of 126 aircraft went to Anil Ambani. Adani never made drones but HAL and other companies in India do that. Despite that PM Modi goes to Israel and Adani gets the contract," Gandhi said.
The Congress MP said Adani was now in 8-10 sectors and that how his net worth reached $140 billion from $8 billion from 2014 to 2022. "In 2014, Adani used to be 609 on the list of richest people in the world. Then, as if by magic, Adani rose to second place," he said.
Continuing his assault, Gandhi said PM Modi went to Australia and by magic, SBI gave a $1 billion loan to Adani. "Then he (PM Modi) goes to Bangladesh and then the Bangladesh Power development board signs a 25-years contract with Adani."
He further claimed that in 2022, the Chairman of the Sri Lanka electricity board informed the parliamentary committee in Sri Lanka that he was told by Pres Rajpaksa that he was pressured by PM Modi to give a wind power project to Adani. "This isn't India's foreign policy, it is a policy for Adani's business," Gandhi said.
The Congress leader also asked the government why regulators did not investigate the shell firms stated in the Hindenburg report. "Why the government has not raised - whose companies are these, whose money is this?"
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