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Kolar (K'taka), April 16 (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi by bringing up the Adani "corruption" issue in this Karnataka district headquarters town and reiterated that he was not scared of the BJP government at the Centre.
It was in Kolar in 2019, during Lok Sabha election campaigning, that he made a remark on the Modi surname for which he was convicted of criminal defamation and stripped of his Parliament membership last month.
In his first visit to Karnataka after Assembly polls were announced on March 29, Gandhi emphasised on the Adani issue to target the Prime Minister and sought to know Modi's "relation" with businessman Gautam Adani.
"I was disqualified from Parliament. They (central government) think that they will scare me by removing me and threatening me. I am not one to get scared," Gandhi told the crowd at the event called 'Jai Bharat'. "Till the time I get the reply, I will keep asking this question. You disqualify me, jail me or do whatever you want, I am not going to get scared," he added.
Alleging that there was no investigation happening against Adani Group's firms that operate in the defence infrastructure, Gandhi charged that the chairman of the beleaguered conglomerate has appointed a Chinese man in his "shell company". "Adani is a symbol of corruption," Gandhi said.
"I want to ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi: what is your relation with Adani who is being given airports in India? Rules are changed for him to award him a contract. Why are the rules being changed?" Gandhi wondered.
₹20,000 करोड़ किसके हैं - इस सवाल का जवाब देने से प्रधानमंत्री जी इतना डरते क्यों हैं? pic.twitter.com/jeEbCvImlE
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) April 15, 2023
The former Congress president said Adani Group has no expertise to run airports, which is a prerequisite for operating them but yet they were handed over to the business group.
"Those who owned airports were implicated by the central agencies like Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) and then these airports were given to Adani," the Congress leader said.
In Australia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was seen with his counterpart and Gautam Adani and a senior State Bank of India officer were seen next to them, he alleged, adding that the very next day, the SBI granted a loan to Adani.
In Sri Lanka, Gandhi claimed, the chairman of the airport authority there stated that the President of the island nation told him that Modi had asked officials to help out Adani.
"The Prime Minister goes to Bangladesh and the contract goes to Adani. The PM goes to Israel and Adani gets cement and airport contracts," Gandhi alleged. Besides, the Congress leader added that he has already raised the issue of INR 20,000 crore belonging to Adani's "shell companies" and wanted to know whose money it was. Upon raising these questions, the ruling party did not allow Parliament to function, Gandhi said.