The BJP has hit back at Congress MP Rahul Gandhi after he attacked the Modi government on the Adani-Hindenburg issue. While speaking in the Lok Sabha Gandhi said that the relationship between PM Modi and Gautam Adani began many years ago when the former was chief minister of Gujarat. He also said that real magic began when PM Modi reached Delhi in 2014.
Soon after that, Minister of Minority Affairs Smriti Irani hit back, alleging that the people of Amethi, Rahul Gandhi's former bastion, had been promised a medical college for years but all they got was a guesthouse for the Gandhi family. "For 30 years, the people of Amethi were repeatedly told that a medical college will be opened. But if you visit Amethi, you will see that this one family made a guest house for themselves on the land allocated for medical college," she said.
"However, PM Modi gave Amethi its first medical college worth Rs 290 crore," she added.
She further alleged: "There is an airport called Fursatganj. The land belongs to the government, but the family has opened hostels in the name of their son and daughter." "PM Modi makes infrastructure in the name of Subhas Chandra Bose, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel but hostels have been built there in the name of Rahul and Priyanka," BJP MP Smriti Irani said.
Rahul Gandhi had earlier accused the PM of helping build Gautam Adani's business empire. "Relationships begins many years ago when Narendra Modi was Gujarat CM...one man stood shoulder to shoulder with PM Modi, he was loyal to PM and helped Modi to construct idea of a resurgent Gujarat. The real magic began when PM Modi reached Delhi in 2014," he had said.
Rahul Gandhi said that from Tamil Nadu, Kerala to Himachal Pradesh, he could hear the name of 'Adani'. "There is only 'Adani', 'Adani', 'Adani' in the whole country... Adani ji never fails in any business," he made a jibe. The Congress MP claimed that during his Bharat Jodo Yatra, people asked him how Gautam Adani's net worth increased from $8 billion to $140 billion between 2014 and 2022.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi further said that when the BJP came to power in 2014, Adani moved from the 600th spot to the second rank in the list of the richest people in the world. He also alleged that the rules were changed so that the Adani group could get contracts for six airports.
"There's a rule who doesn't have prior experience in airports can't be involved in the development of airports. This rule was changed by the Government of India," Rahul Gandhi said in Lok Sabha. "This rule was changed & Adani was given six airports. After that India's most profitable airport 'Mumbai Airpot' was hijacked from GVK using agencies like CBI, ED & was given to Adani by Govt of India," he added Gandhi further said, "Adani has zero experience in the defence sector.