FM Sitharaman Rubbishes 'Ambani-Adani Sarkar' Allegations, Says Oppn-Ruled States Also Signing Agreements

Sitharaman said that the DMK, the government in Tamil Nadu's coalition partner with the Congress party, has also secured contracts to establish data centres with the Adani Group.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Source : Getty Images

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has refuted claims that the Modi administration solely signed contracts with Ambani and Adani and that states that were governed by the opposition did not do the same, news agency PTI reported.

The minister stated that the Congress-led government in Rajasthan signed two renewable energy agreements with the Adani Group a day after Rahul Gandhi claimed that the Center was working on behalf of the two industrial conglomerates while speaking in Jaipur in response to a debate on price hikes in the Lok Sabha.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman dismisses allegations that Modi govt was working only for 'Ambani and Adani', says Opposition-ruled states are also signing agreements with the two leading business houses

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 1, 2022

"...and Congress people repeatedly taunt us of being 'Ambani-Adani sarkar," she was quoted by PTI in its report. 

Sitharaman said that the DMK, the government in Tamil Nadu's coalition partner with the Congress party, has also secured contracts to establish data centres with the Adani Group.

Earlier in January, Congress had alleged that the government's "pro-rich" actions during the COVID-19 pandemic favoured a small number of powerful industrialists while 84 percent of people saw a decline in their income.

Rahul Gandhi, a former chief of the Congress, also charged that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi was "creating wealth for his friends" and that he was hurting the populace through taxation and unemployment.

While referring to the Oxfam report, Congress Leader had said, "The prime minister is creating wealth for his friends and is weakening the public with taxes and unemployment. Will these statistics also be discussed in the WEF? It must be!"

The Congress had also published statistics on Twitter demonstrating that although the wealth of entrepreneurs like Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani surged during the Covid era, that of 84% of ordinary people decreased.

Adani's fortune went from USD 8.9 billion in 2020 to USD 82.2 billion in 2021, according to a graph published on Twitter by the opposition party, while Ambani's wealth increased from USD 36.8 billion in 2020 to USD 85.5 billion in 2021.

(With Inputs From PTI)