Asserting that Congress-run States are ruled by “governments of poor people” instead of being “governments of Adani”, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday claimed Prime Minister Narendra Modi can never order any inquiry against the Adani Group as it “will not put the Adani Group in trouble but someone else”.
Mr. Gandhi made these remarks at an event in Nava Raipur’s mela ground to felicitate members of the Rajiv Yuva Mitan Club, an initiative of the Bhupesh Baghel-led government to involve youth in the promotion of local sports and culture, in poll-bound Chhattisgarh. The former Congress chief also gave away appointment letters to newly recruited teachers in State government schools.
Though the 13,000-odd Rajiv Yuva Mitan clubs are a government initiative to involve over three lakh youth in grassroots-level projects, the event was clearly an attempt by the ruling Congress to target the youth and first-time voters. Mr. Gandhi said the youth of the State have a “big responsibility to carry forward the process of development” in the State.
The Lok Sabha members from Wayanad also targeted the BJP for referring to tribal communities as Vanvasi’ instead of Adivasi because it (BJP) does not want them to come out of the forest and fulfil their dreams in various sectors.
Speaking before Mr. Gandhi, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel claimed that the Chhattisgarh government is facing raids from the Central agencies as it did not allow the BJP’s plans to hand over iron-ore mines and coal mines in the mineral-rich State to the Adani Group.
“If there is anyone who is standing in between Adani and the mines, it is the Congress and the Congress government.... If you press Lotus (the BJP’s election symbol) in the EVM, Adani will come out of the VVPAT,” Mr. Baghel alleged.
Referring to the recent Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) investigations against the Adani Group, Mr. Gandhi said top international financial dailies reported that (Gautam) Adani, who is close to Mr. Modi, sent thousands of crores outside India, increased the price of the stocks of his own companies and used that money to purchase the national assets and infrastructure.
“It is being said that even railway stations will also be given to him. Everything is being handed over to one person,” Mr. Gandhi alleged, adding, “Thousands of crores of rupees that went outside India – whose money was it? It was not Adani’s money. The PM cannot get an inquiry done against Adaniji because if the truth comes out, it will not be the loss of Adaniji, but someone else.”
The Congress leader said while the BJP government works for two-three billionaires and believes in spreading ‘nafrat’ (hate) among common people, his party believes in ‘mohabbat ki dukaan’ (shop of love) and not in ‘nafrat ke bazaar’ (market of hate).
“I want to make one thing clear - be it the governments in Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh or the upcoming governments in Telangana and Madhya Pradesh, they will be the government of the poor people rather than being the governments of Adani,” Mr. Gandhi declared.
