The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) verbally tore into Congress and Rahul Gandhi for, according to them, tarnishing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s image; the alleged campaign dates back to at least 2002. During the Adani controversy, Congress alleged undue favoritism to Gautam Adani from the Modi-led government.
Gandhi has repeatedly questioned Home Minister Modi’s ties with Adani, speaking of backdoor rule-making to benefit the businessman. In Parliament, he demanded JPC to probe, among others, Hindenburg Research’s subsidized claims against the financial practices of the Adani Group.
This has now become a big issue regarding transparency and accountability, with Congress asking why Businessman Adani was allowed to multiply and why Modi kept extending favors to him.
BJP’s Counterattack
BJP rubbished these allegations, labeling them baseless and hypocritical. An upbraid for such exploitation came from BJP General Secretary Vinod Tawde, who reminded us of all the existing ties between then Congress-led governments and Adani, which comprise major projects in states like Rajasthan and Telangana.
Tawde pointed out that the Congress party previously opened avenues for Adani’s business Subsidiary and is now running this campaign against him.
The last Vice Prime Minister raised this allegation obliquely in the course of a parliamentary debate today: the aim of Prime Minister Modi’s administration is to further the cause of the public, particularly rural development and tribals.
On this occasion, he kept away from mentioning the Adani controversy directly and claimed that “the trust of millions of Indians is a shield” against such allegations.
The BJP has framed this discourse in a broader narrative, alleging that Congress has been at PM Modi’s throat since his Gujarat chief Ministership. The BJP mocked Rahul Gandhi for resorting to the politics of personal slime in a desperate attempt to revive the relevance of opposition companies against Modi.
PM Modi also underscored what he termed the “lost decade” of the Congress from 2004 to 2014 in opposition to his agenda, during which a slew of corruption scandals occurred.
The Adani controversy continues to be a polarizing issue in Indian politics. The opposition rallies around calls for greater scrutiny of corporate-political ties, while the BJP leverages this to expose the opposition’s double standards.
The debate has intensified with the assembly elections in states like Maharashtra, making it a central topic in national political discussions.
This controversy has continued to polarize Indian politics, with the opposition increasing its demand for transparency and accountability. Other opposition parties like TMC and AAP join the calls for a JPC probe.
The BJP, for its part, believes that the controversy has provided an opportunity to question the motives of the other opposition parties, thinking they must be hypocritical and desperate with elections being just around the corner in several significant assemblies.
The entire row would straddle the corporate-political dynamics and will become a flashpoint for the general elections in 2024.
