On a day when Congress MP Rahul Gandhi attacked PM Narendra Modi for granting undue favours to his โindustrialist friendsโ, Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot hosted Gautam Adani, the worldโs second richest businessman in Jaipur, with many seeing it as an act of defiance.
Adani was in the state capital to take part in the Rajasthan Investment Summit where Adani Group announced its plans to invest Rs 65000 crores in the next 5-7 years. The planned investment is expected to generate more than 40000 new jobs in Rajasthan.
โInvest Rajasthan Summitโ began at JECC Campus in Jaipur on Friday where Gahlot made a strong pitch for investment opportunities in Rajasthan. The importance accorded to Gautam Adani could be judged by the fact that he addressed the inaugural session in presence of a galaxy of industrialists. He was seated next to the chief minister who addressed him as โAdani Jiโ.
Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was quick to take potshots at Rahul for his much-hyped remarks against Adani who, as the former Congress president has repeatedly pointed out, is among โtwo-three industrialist friends of Mr Modiโ.
โIn another sign of revolt and brewing discontent against the Gandhis, Rajasthanโs CM Ashok Gahlot invited Gautam Adani for the investor summit. He is given a seat next to the CM. This is an open message to Rahul Gandhi who doesnโt tire berating Adani-Ambani to back off,โ BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya tweeted.
Meanwhile, reacting to Gehlotโs inviting Adani to the summit, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said, โWe donโt have any issues with Adani or Ambani. We have issues with the governmentโs policies that favour only certain individuals.โ
โSomeone who has jumped from 643 to second in the worldโs richest people list, the government must have a huge role to play. We just want the government to offer the same helping hand to more than 6 crore people living in poverty,โ Shrinate said.
The very optics provided enough ammunition for the BJP to mock the sophistry of the Congress and its leadership, particularly its Rahul, who never loses an opportunity to attack the Prime Minister and certain industrialists.
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Speaking at the summit, Adani said, โThe Adani Group has already invested over Rs 35,000 crore across multiple industrial sectors in the state of Rajasthan. Combining all ongoing and future investments, we anticipate investing an additional Rs 65,000 Cr in Rajasthan over the next 5 to 7 years and creating over 40,000 direct and indirect jobsโ.
โIt is a privilege to be attending this summit and have this opportunity to talk about the existing presence and future plans of the Adani Group in this magnificent Land of Kings.โ
He continued: โSitting next door in Gujarat, I am privileged to have a ringside view of Rajasthanโs social upliftment and the stateโs economic growth. The Adani Group is also making one of the worldโs largest bets on energy transition. We are betting on green hydrogen, given our ability to generate the most inexpensive solar and wind power.โ
The two-day summit is being attended by more than 4,000 guests from across the globe. The Gahlot government expects to attract over Rs 10 lakh crore in the state.