Politics

After BJP’s protest, Rahul Gandhi on Adani’s Rajasthan investment said, ‘No CM will refuse’

October 8, 2022
Bharat Times

New Delhi: Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, a well-known Adani-Ambani-batter, on Saturday came to the rescue of Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s warm welcome to Gautam Adani’s Invest Rajasthan 2022 summit. He said he was “not against corporates in any way” but against the “monopoly” of Indian business.

Addressing a press conference in Karnataka, Rahul Gandhi emphasized that the Congress government in Rajasthan has not given any preference to industrialists and will oppose it if they do. The BJP had ridiculed the Congress after Gehlot praised Adani, who has often been attacked by Rahul Gandhi.

He termed Adani’s welcome to Gehlot as a “sign of rebellion” against the Gandhi family. it was in the context of Rebellion By Congress MLAs loyal to Gehlot, who had stayed away from the legislature party meeting convened to authorize Sonia Gandhi to nominate Gehlot’s successor as the CM.

This was seen as Gehlot’s denial of the party high command’s decision to install Sachin Pilot as the next chief minister. Gehlot later apologized to Sonia Gandhi and withdrew from the race for the post of party president.

“In another sign of rebellion and discontent against the Gandhi family, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot invited Gautam Adani for an investor summit. He has been given a seat right next to the CM. This is an open message to Rahul Gandhi, who does not tire of rebuking Adani-Ambani, holds back….,” tweeted BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya.

“The opponent is a friend today. They have changed their course hoping to get money,” tweeted BJP state president Satish Poonia.

Gandhi defended Gehlot, “Mr Adani has given Rs 60,000 crore to Rajasthan. No Chief Minister can turn down such a proposal. In fact, it would not be right for a Chief Minister to turn down such an offer. My argument is in the use of political power to help a select few businesses. My opposition is to politically help two-three or four big businesses to monopolize every single business in this country. That’s where I oppose.”

“I am not against corporates in any way, I am not against business in any way, but I am against complete monopoly of Indian business as it weakens the country. And what we are seeing today, BJP government What it is doing is helping a few selected businesses have a complete monopoly of all businesses. That’s my problem,” he reiterated.

He said that the Rajasthan government has neither given any preference to Adani nor has used political power to help him in the state. He said as long as he didn’t do it the “wrong way,” he had no problem.

“The day they do so, I will stand in the opposition,” he said.

Read also: From Ports to Energy Transition – Adani Group to invest over $100 billion over the next decade

Gehlot’s weight

Addressing the summit on Saturday, Ashok Gehlot called Gautam Adani “Gautam”. Brotherand praised his business acumen as well as social welfare schemes. As soon as the pictures of the incident became public, BJP attacked Congress for having double standards as Rahul Gandhi has repeatedly attacked industrialists.

Ahead of the event, Rahul Gandhi had put out a tweet saying that the Center was waiving loans worth several crores of “capitalist friends”, while others were facing difficulties. “Two India in one country. We will not accept this division,” he had tweeted.

Gehlot said that he condemns the BJP for opposing such an event. “The way they tried to make an issue in the media about Gautam Adani, be it Gautam Adani or any other Adani, or Ambani or Amit Shah’s son Jay Shah, we welcome everyone here. We want investors, investments and jobs,” Gehlot said while talking to the media.

Gehlot said the media and a section of the BJP were trying to create negative publicity for the event.

“Making this investment summit an issue will prove detrimental to the BJP. The more they oppose it, the more trouble it will create for them because the youth want jobs and they are trying to eliminate it. This is not a private event. These 3000 people who have come are not Congressmen. It can be anyone from Congress, BJP or any other person,” Gehlot said.

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh also defended Gehlot. In a tweet, he said that “Gehlot is very much against the Modi type of dynasty”.

A senior Congress leader, speaking to ThePrint on condition of anonymity, said it was a mere coincidence that Gandhi’s statement on ‘capitalist friends’ and Gehlot’s summit where industrialists were welcomed were together.

“As far as the senior leadership is concerned, they have not said anything in the matter. It doesn’t seem to be an issue, but those who are against Gehlot are using it to spread the story.”

However, another party functionary told ThePrint that Gehlot could have avoided being ‘comfortable’ with Adani as it sent a “wrong message”.

(Edited by Therese Sudeep)

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