In an interview to the India Today Group aired on December 28, Adani Group Chairperson Gautam Adani credited decisions taken by prime minister Rajiv Gandhi for helping set off his entrepreneurial journey, and thanked Congress PM P V Narasimha Rao and his then Finance Minister Manmohan Singh for taking measures that helped businesses like his grow.
Adani named the three when asked about the charge thrown at him that his rise was linked to the rise of PM Narendra Modi. His response comes against the backdrop of the frequent attacks on him by the Congress, particularly Rahul Gandhi, of being one part of the Modi government’s “Adani-Ambani sarkar”.
Rahul has made the barb frequently during his election campaigns in Gujarat, and most recently, during his speech at the Red Fort on December 24 as part of his Bharat Jodo Yatra, said the PM was under someone else’s “control”, and that “this is not Narendra Modiji’s government, this is Ambani-Adani’s government”.
In the interview to the India Today Group, Adani said he became an “easy target of such allegations” as both he and Modi came from Gujarat. He then went on to credit previous governments of the Congress at the Centre and of Keshubhai Patel in Gujarat for playing a crucial role in his journey.
“When (Rajiv Gandhi) first liberalised the Exim (export import) policy, and for the first time several items were brought into the open general list, it helped me start my export house. But for Rajiv Gandhi, my journey as an entrepreneur would never have taken off,” Adani said.
Under the Rao government, he added, his venture had got the “second big push” when, in 1991, “the duo of Prime Minister Narasimha Rao and Finance Minister Manmohan Singh initiated sweeping economic reforms”. “Just like many other entrepreneurs I too was a beneficiary of those reforms,” Adani said.
Congress leaders in Gujarat said that Adani’s remarks didn’t change their views regarding a “Modi-Ambani-Adani alliance”. Arjun Modhwadia cited “the befitting response” given by Rahul following Adani’s announcement of major investments in Rajasthan at a summit helmed by Congress Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, who was incidentally the Congress senior observer for the then imminent Gujarat elections.
Rahul had said: “Mr Adani has committed Rs 60,000 crore to Rajasthan. No CM can refuse such an offer. In fact, it would not be correct for a CM to refuse such an offer.”
What he was against, Rahul had added, was “the use of political power to help certain chosen businesses”. “My opposition is to two, three or four large businesses being helped politically to monopolise every single business in the country… Today what is being done by the BJP government is complete monopolisation of all businesses by helping a chosen few businesses.”
Modhwadia repeated the same, saying the Congress was against “any special treatment to anyone”. “We oppose monopoly, such as most airports going to one company (the Adani Group has been awarded the running of several airports), public assets going to a private company…”
Gujarat Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi acknowledged Adani’s statement regarding Congress PMs and said: “Rahulji is not against an individual company, but against monopoly.” Doshi also said there was no denying that the Congress governments of Rajiv Gandhi and Rao ended licence raj, brought reform, ushered in IT, telecom policies. “The Congress took India to the 21st century,” he said, adding: “Ours was a government of inclusiveness while the BJP’s is that of exclusiveness.”
Adani’s remarks regarding Keshubhai Patel were also striking as the late Patel was considered a bitter critic of Modi, who replaced him as Gujarat CM in 2001. Patel never returned as CM after that. Calling Patel “visionary”, Adani said that it was during his time as CM that the Adani Group had built its first port at Mundra in Kutch.
Lastly, the Adani Group Chairperson mentioned Modi’s tenure, calling it “the fourth turning point in his growth story”. He said that after 2001, there was a “massive” focus on development under CM Modiji. “His policies and their implementation have changed not only the economic landscape of the state but also brought about social transformation and development of previously underdeveloped areas. It allowed industries and employment to take off like never before,” Adani said.
Earlier, Congress-turned-BJP leader Hardik Patel had criticised Rahul’s attacks on Adani. “A businessman rises due to his or her own hard work. You can’t abuse Adani or Ambani every time. If the PM is from Gujarat, then why take out your anger on Ambani & Adani?” the Patidar leader said.
