New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday kept up his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his “friendship” with billionaire businessman Gautam Adani, days after a similar charge in Parliament was expunged from the records.
In a YouTube video titled “Mitr Kaal – Ep 1: Adani ki ‘Udaan’, The Airport Saga”, Gandhi asked what “PM magic” made Adani get into the airport construction business “without experience” and bag the country’s biggest contract.
Gandhi let out steam in the five-minute video “Mitr Kaal”, two words that the Congress often uses to mock the BJP’s vision of an “Amrit Kaal” – which signifies an upcoming “golden period” for economic growth and social justice.
The video narrates that the central government in 2018 gave an in-principle nod to privatise six airports through public-private partnership. In February 2019, the narrator alleges, Adani got the contract for Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Guwahati, Thiruvananthapuram, Mangalore and Jaipur airports without having any prior experience in the field.
“Yeh kahani Mitr Kaal ke kabze ki hai,” Rahul breaks in. “Airport par kabza, ports par kabza, road par kabza, defence forces par kabza, media par kabza, koyley pe kabza, bijli par kabza… aur puri tarah Bharat Sarkar par kabza.”
Rahul says he spoke the “truth” in Parliament about Narendra Modi and Adani’s “relationship” and also given enough evidence of India’s loot.
“But my remarks were expunged… the media did not say anything. And Narendra Modi did not reply to my questions, those that I had backed up with evidence,” he says.
The video then speaks about airports being the country’s “sunrise industry” — one that is very important from the point of view of the country’s security. To have control of India’s airports means control over a significant resource, the narrator says.
The narrator adds that the previous Congress-led UPA government wanted to privatise airports to “bring efficiency in service delivery, expertise, enterprise and professionalism”. “Also to create world-class air navigation infrastructure, and enhance revenue.”
Rahul goes on to say that he is not against business, but against monopoly. “Aur main jaadu ka khilaf hoon. Kaun sa jaadu?” Rahul adds, rattling off numbers that allege how Adani’s grip over airports have strengthened.
“Ek vyakti jisney airport kabhi nahin chalaya, ussey Hindustan-ke sabse profitable airport pakda diya gaya,” the Congress leader fumes.
The video then talks about how “Sarkar jhook gaya”, and “abolished the provision that demanded previous experience”.
Rahul also asks why one person got six airports. “The rule was that one contractor would get a maximum of two,” he says.
The Congress leader Congress then says that several government arms had objected to these alleged malpractice, but these were “overturned”.
“And the last act of magic? – Mumbai airport. Hindustan ke airports ke soney ke chiriya. The Mumbai airport operator faced pressure from agencies – CBI and ED. The moment this operator transfers it to Adaniji, the agencies give him a clean chit,” he says.
Rahul ends with the words “Sacchai bolna, sacchai ka saamna karna, humarey desh ki history, humarey desh ka itihaas hai.”
Billionaire Gautam Adani is in the cross hairs of an American short-seller company, Hindenburg Research, which on 24 January released a report alleging financial impropriety in the conglomerate.
The Adani Group’s fortunes tanked over $100 billion following the report, giving the Opposition enough ammunition to take up the matter in Parliament. They demanded a joint parliamentary committee probe into the Adani companies, a call Narendra Modi did not address in his two subsequent speeches in both Houses.
The Congress has also asked the government three questions every day in the last two weeks – a series it calls “Hum Adani Ke Hai Kaun” – and raised several aspects of Modi’s “relationship” with Gautam Adani.
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